Ghost of a Memory
by Pokeluv101
Summary: They were always a few feet away from each other but neither knew much about the other. Kyouya's room faced Erika's but he never so much as spoke to her until her ghost jumped onto his balcony. But now her spirit won't leave his side and the only solution he could think of was to solve the mystery of her murder. {Erika and Kyouya/AU}
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters**

* * *

"Why can't you just let me win one time?" Takeru joked as he lost to his friend, Kyouya, in chess for the third time in the row. Kyouya chuckled in reaction since they both knew that Takeru's pride wouldn't allow him to accept a victory given to him. The smug smile Kyouya had didn't irritate him since he knew that it wasn't meant to mock him.

"I still can't believe your father trusted you with his café." Kyouya remembered all the strange pastries his friend made him eat when they were younger and laughed. But he still tried Takeru's latest recipe. While his baking hadn't improved, he had surprisingly good business sense. Even with his busy schedule, he found time to eat with his friend and it was a good distraction from his work.

"Wanna go for another round?" Kyouya asked as he set up the board again. The custom glass pieces were differentiated by being clear and opaque. Takeru shook his head and mirrored Kyouya's action to help him. They were as different as two people could be but had been friends since they were kids. "At least you're able to give me a challenge now. When we were kids, the only piece you would use was the king."

"It's the king's job to protect the queen." Takeru pointed out and Kyouya wondered if Takeru would ever have the ability to be selfish. After interacting with so many people, he found that kindness was rare and refreshing. "If you really want to play with someone, why don't you ask one of your maids? I'm sure they're better at this game than me."

"They quit so it's just me in this house." Kyouya said without a hint of emotion. Most of them had left the previous year and part of him couldn't blame them. If the house hadn't been in his family for generation, he would've sold it. In the end it was wiser for him not to move. "Not many people want to work next to a haunted house."

"They never did find out what happened to that girl, did they? It's a shame that she died so young. Didn't she go to the same high school as you?" Kyouya thought back to his neighbour. In their last year of high school, she had simply disappeared and no one knew the truth but the police declared her dead. Some thought that she merely ran away while others said that she was kidnapped and murdered.

Kyouya distinctly remembered being questioned by the police but he had never so much as spoken with her. It was a shock to hear that someone had died so close to his home at the time. The neighbourhood they lived in was quiet and he wouldn't have expected something like that to happen.

Their conversation drifted away from murder conspiracies to their high school experiences. It was late by the time Takeru left and Kyouya saw him out. A part of him thought of the murder and made his friend promise to be careful when walking to not cause the police trouble. Takeru laughed when he said it though. "Why can't you just say that you're worried about me? You don't need to act tough all the time."

"If you don't stop joking, I'll be the one to murder you. Just get home safe so you can open your café on time for once." Kyouya scowled but it only lasted a moment before the pair laughed. With a final goodbye, Kyouya went back into his room to prepare for work. He was a teacher so he rarely looked forward to the dreaded Monday.

Kyouya entered his room to prepare for his next lesson but stopped when he spotted the chessboard left on his coffee table. One of the pawns wasn't in its place and tucked under it was a note reading, _your move_. For a moment, Kyouya wondered if Takeru was trying to mess with him but he didn't recognize the writing. Ignoring his gut reaction, he moved the piece back to its square.

"What is that guy trying to accomplish?" Kyouya sighed and stepped out onto his balcony, closing the door behind him. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, he tried to clear his mind. But he found it difficult when he found himself staring at the balcony across from his. He couldn't help but think about the mystery and wondered what happened to the girl seven years ago.

They had lived across from each other for years and their balconies so close he could easily jump onto hers but he never spoken to her. He remembered seeing her out on her balcony but there was nothing remarkable about her. Even at school, they were classmates but they never spoken once and he had the impression that she was rather shy.

When the cold began to creep into his bones, he stepped back into his room. Kyouya reached for the sliding door but noticed that it was slightly opened and reminded himself to have someone inspect the house since it wasn't the first time he found the door open. The house was old so he always brushed off every occurrence as poor maintenance.

At times it seemed like it was his house that was haunted rather than the neighbouring house. Kyouya would find that some things were moved but he wasn't superstitious and thought the maids had misplaced them. When he asked them, they said they hadn't moved it. Even if they left his employment because of this, he didn't give it much thought.

The large house never made him feel uncomfortable though. He was used to the quiet of the house since his parents worked often and left him home alone ever since he was a child. The maids would often play with him but he found their company cold and disconnected. Later in life, he found himself content with the silence of the house.

He took out a pile of worksheets from his bag and placed them on his table to mark. Kyouya's hand stopped when he saw the chess board in the corner of his eyes. The pawn had moved again. He jumped back but didn't take his eyes off the piece. He was certain that he had put it away and there was no one else in the house that could've moved it again.

"I must be going crazy." Kyouya pushed away the uneasy feeling in his stomach and picked up the pawn. Nothing about the glass piece had changed. Deciding that it was best to forget about the issue, he put the glass board away in its box and was careful not to scratch the glass. He placed the box back into his closet and his eyes lingered on the cheery letters printed on it. _Happy Birthday, Kyouya!_

Still to this day, he hadn't thanked the person for the gift. The reason was because he didn't know who sent him the chess set. It was left on his balcony the last year of high school so he guessed that it was from his father since he would often leave his present in his room rather than giving it personally. It still confused him why his father would give him a chess set since he would usually only give him a card.

"I better get some rest before I start losing my mind." Kyouya decided that he had been over working himself and that was causing his mind to betray him. He wasn't superstitious so he told himself that he merely thought he moved the piece back when he didn't. "Hopefully this is all because Takeru convinced me to test taste that new recipe he made."

* * *

"The hell?" The curse fell from Kyouya's lips when he woke and found that the chess board had been set up on his desk. Praying that it was a trick of his mind, he threw his closet door open and found that the chess box had been opened.

He stared at the box, trying to find a logical explanation. Takeru wouldn't go so far as to break into his house for such a confusing prank. Maybe he went to sleep without putting it away and thought he did. He would rather be forgetful than loss his mind. Things were often moved in his home but he could always blame it on the maids until now.

A soft sound made him turn and his eyes widened when one of the opaque pawns moved. Kyouya sat across from the piece and studied it but it stopped moving. Already deeming himself crazy, he moved his transparent pawn as if he was playing with an actual person. Not long after he moved his piece, another opaque pawn moved in return.

"It's official, I'm crazy." Kyouya muttered to himself but continued playing. The time it took the opposing piece to move in reaction to him wasn't constant and he glared at the pieces, trying to find an explanation for the moving pieces. As the game went on, he grew more frustrated at his invisible opponent. Why was he even entertaining his insanity?

"Check!" A cheery voice chimed and he looked up to see a slightly transparent woman sitting across from him suddenly. Her brown eyes sparkled with life and Kyouya's heart stopped at the sight of her. The woman turned her gaze up from the board and smiled at him. "You need to move your king. It's feels like so long since I've played chess but I still remember the rules."

"How?" Kyouya swallowed the confusion he had that was stopping him from breathing. Instead of moving his king, he reached across the board to touch her. His hand passed through her brown hair and a chill crawled up his back. She watched him with curiosity when he was the one that should've been doing so. "How are you here? You're dead."

She dropped the defeated pawn she was playing with and her face paled. Looking at her closer, he could see that she was slightly transparent. But there was no question who sat before him now. She was Erika, his neighbour that died. She died in their last year of high school but she appeared to be the same age as him now. He wanted to question if ghosts could age but that would force him to admit he was seeing one.

Kyouya studied her but she seemed frozen. When he tried to shake her shoulder to force her to respond to him again, his hand passed through her. He followed her eyes to the pawns and moved his king, hoping to prompt a reaction from her. Thankfully she did and they continued playing. He wondered if he should speak to her again since she was so silent.

"I guess I always knew that I was dead." She finally spoke as her queen took his knight. Erika looked up at him and smiled. "You're the first person that has been able to see me. I've been trying for years but… I'm just so glad that I finally have someone to talk to. I always wondered who I was since I just found myself sitting on your balcony. Did you know me? Was I the previous owner of this house?"

"We didn't know each other personally and it would be generous to even say we knew of each other. You were my neighbour." Kyouya found himself telling her as he questioned his sanity. "We didn't speak to each other so there's not much I can tell you. So I don't know why you're here instead of in your house. Is it true that you don't remember anything?"

Erika thought for a moment before shaking her head. "It was really strange when I woke on your balcony. I don't understand much myself and talking to you feels crazy. I've been trying to get people to notice me for years now and it took everything I had to be able to move objects. But with you, it's easy now. Even if I'm a ghost, I'm glad that I don't have to spend the afterlife alone."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes that held some doubt and Kyouya knew that he couldn't allow a ghost in his life. How his life became one that involved ghosts, he didn't know. The only explanation he had was that the cake Takeru baked him made him go insane. He needed to regain his sanity or else he'll find himself in a padded room.

"Look, I'm not going to play ghost with you so go haunt someone else. Aren't ghosts supposed to haunt people they knew or the person that murdered them?" Kyouya pushed away from the table and began to put away the chess set.

"Was I murdered?" Her question was barely a whisper and she stared up at him with lost eyes. The confusion and pain in them made his heart sink. He didn't know if he should answer her truthfully or not since he didn't know how she would react to the truth. "I don't remember anything."

"Maybe that's for the best." He put away the chess set in his closet. He looked back to her to see her reaction but he faced an empty room now. "I definitely need to see a therapist."

* * *

"Good morning, Mr. Sata!" A student greeted him and he smiled back at them before he continued to walk down the hall. His conversation with Erika that morning was still on his mind but there were no other strange occurrence after that. Hopefully the effect of Takeru's baking had finally subsided. He couldn't teach his students with a ghost haunting him.

He was a physics teacher so he couldn't find any logic in believing in ghosts. Everything that happened in life could be explained and he didn't want to bother himself with abstract concepts like love or the supernatural. Ever since he was young, he had been an outstanding student so most didn't understand why he decided to become a teacher.

To be honest, Kyouya didn't know either. His teacher had asked him to help teach some students and from there he became a teacher. It was something he was good at and the students seemed to enjoy his classes. Working at the same high school he went to as a teen didn't feel strange anymore.

Before he went to teach his first class, he went into the room they kept the student records. He didn't want to entertain his insanity anymore but he found himself going through the student records until he came across Erika's name. Sitting at his desk, he looked over the notes teachers made on her.

As he read through the files, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Her grades were average and she wasn't in many clubs but won an art contest for her glassmaking. She volunteered often but it seemed like she didn't have many friends. One teacher wrote that they thought she was being bullied. He didn't interact with the other students much so didn't know if it was true.

Looking at her school photo, a memory sparked in his mind.

* * *

 _Erika kept her gaze on the ground and tried to block out their laughter. Why didn't she listen to Sanda? If only she did, she wouldn't have to face their ridicule now. But she did and now she was facing the consequences of lying._

" _I can't believe she'll actually lie about having a boyfriend. We should've known that no guy would want to be with a liar like her." Their words were whispers but Erika heard them from where she sat. Her first year of high school, she tried to relate to a group of girls by telling them she had a boyfriend but after a month they found out the truth._

 _It was difficult to make a friend when most of the school thought she lied for attention. If she could go back in time, she would've said anything else. Thankfully, Sanda was still her friend but she was in another class. So until the class was over, she sat alone with other girls glaring into her back._

" _Erika?" She looked up when someone called her name and she was shocked to find Kyouya standing beside her desk. He was the prince of the school so she didn't know why he would speak with her. With a mixed smile, he placed a box of cookies on her desk. "Your friend, Sanda, told me to give this to you and to tell you that you should walk home without her since he has a student council meeting."_

" _Thank you." Erika was glad that she had a friend like Sanda looking out for her. Since he went out of his way to bring her the cookies, she handed him one. "Here. San-chan bakes the best cookies! I always burn the cookies I make since I'll get distracted and leave them in the oven too long. San-chan always laugh that I have the patients to make glass but not cookies."_

" _Do you think she's lying to get with the prince? You never know what she'll do to get attention." Erika heard someone whisper behind her and she knew that Kyouya could hear them as well. She tried not to show how much it affected her but she knew that no matter what she said, no one would believe her._

" _At a student council meeting, she showed us some of your work. They were beautiful and we talked about displaying some of it. You have a talent." Kyouya acted like he hadn't heard them. The princely smile he gave her made her heart raced and the gossip behind her stopped temporarily. That smile burned itself into her memory._

* * *

Kyouya looked up at the clock and he saw that it was almost time for him to go to class. Thinking back on the rumours surrounding Erika, it seemed like pointless high school drama. Acting like a prince kept others from causing him trouble so he defended her that one time. The interaction was so short that he had forgotten about it until now and he wondered if he forgot anything else about her.

"Is that me?" Kyouya dropped the files when he heard her voice once again. And it was more than just a memory. Erika looked over his shoulder and stared at the photo. It felt strange staring at herself and not remember a thing about the person she was. He closed the folder before she could read the files though.

"Just ignore her, Kyouya. Finish teaching your class and regain your sanity," Kyouya instructed himself and rushed past her. He thought that the ghost had simply been a dream but she appeared before him again. If this wasn't a temporary case of insanity, he could find himself in a padded room. So he ignored her and walked briskly to his class.

"Wait, are you sure you didn't know me? You seem very familiar." Erika followed him and tried to stop him but he avoided looking at her. She had so many questions about herself and Kyouya was the closest she came to getting answers. She stood in front of him to block his path but he merely walked through her and his warmth passing through her gave her a chill.

"Kyouya!" She repeated his name but he slammed the classroom door in her face. Erika bit her tongue but she wasn't one to give up so walked through the door. Standing in the middle of the classroom, she felt oddly nostalgic but out of place. The only thing that she recognized with certainty was Kyouya standing in front of the class.

His eyes only lingered on her for a moment before he ignored her. The classroom made her feel small and alone despite it being full. Her foot took her to an occupied seat and she wondered if she sat in the desk like the student was doing now.

 _Who am I?_

Erika was always in the corner of Kyouya's eyes. He was glad that she wasn't bothering him with questions since he was teaching but the lost look in her eyes haunted him. Was she remembering something? He didn't think of the irony that he was teaching in the same classroom that he learned in as student until Erika brought those memories back.

Something close to pity touched him as he watched her.

* * *

"You're not going to haunt this classroom and bother my students now, are you?" Kyouya threw a large textbook onto the desk Erika was sleeping in to gain her attention. It was late and they were the only ones in the classroom. During his lecture, she sat in an empty desk and promptly fell asleep. He didn't know if it was the subject or an emotional strain that made her fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position.

Erika groaned and rubbed her heavy eyes, still not fully awake. He recognized the expression vaguely and remembered that she would fall asleep in class sometimes. Her defenseless expression looked silly and he chuckled. He took a chair to sit across from her. "No wonder your grades were so bad. Now that I think back, you were an airhead back then."

"Was I?" Erika asked him and he nodded. Usually he would pretend to be a kind gentleman but he didn't see the point when he was speaking with a ghost. "I don't think I am. Maybe it's because science is too complicated and boring."

"Boring?" Kyouya raised a brow at her, slightly annoyed that she insulted his subject of choice. He pinched her cheeks and pulled them slightly. "Just because your brain can't understand it, doesn't mean it's complicated. Maybe if you try to learn instead of sleeping, you would've gotten better grades. Even a dog doesn't sleep through his training."

"Ow," Erika whined and he let go of her. She rubbed her now red cheeks and pouted at him. The expression reminded him of an unsatisfied puppy and laughed. Her animated face would've fooled him into thinking that she if he didn't know better. "That hurt, you meanie. You were nicer to your students when you were teaching them. Wait!"

She jumped and pinched his cheek in return. Before she would pass through him and she was happy at the new discover. But when she concentrated and tried to touch his face again, she passed through him. Things were strangely reversed with him. When she was relaxed with him, she was about to touch him but had to concentrate to touch other objects.

"I don't know much about ghost but I can't have you following me around." Kyouya told her and she looked slightly hurt. What he said was logical but she didn't know where else to go to. "I'm sure you'll be much happier if you try to find your way to heaven."

"It feels like something is keeping me here!" Erika stopped him from going on. "If you can help me find out about myself, I'll be able to leave. Please do this for me. You're my neighbour so you there must be something you can do for me."

"I don't know." Kyouya hesitated. He could tell her about her life but there was the uncomfortable question about her death.

"If you don't I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!" Erika interrupted his thoughts and he raised a brow at her. Did she truly intend to threaten him when she was the most docile person he knew? Her eyes were determined though and he held out her pinky to him. "Please help me move on."

"I check myself into an insane asylum." Kyouya sighed as he wrapped his pinky around hers. "I'll help you."

* * *

 **Starting a new fanfic for OSTKO ^-^ People who follow my other works know that I lose inspiration for mystery rather quickly but I love writing fantasy/supernatural so hopefully that would drive me to finish this**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters**

* * *

"What was my favourite subject?" Erika asked him as they walked side by side. He answered the same way he did all her other questions, with a grunt. She didn't seem to mind as she asked him more questions with the hope that she would eventually ask one he could answer.

"The only subject you were getting a passable grade in was art so I'll put my money on that being your favourite." Kyouya said after thinking for a moment. He promised to help her but he didn't know where to begin and he didn't know if he was doing the right thing. If they continue to look into her past, he would eventually have to tell her about her death.

They eventually stopped in front of her house and he took a deep breath. The simplest way to find out more about her was to speak with her parents but he didn't know how to bring up the subject. He couldn't very well tell them that her ghost wouldn't leave him alone until she learned about who she was before she died. Hopefully, he could think of something before they answered the door.

Kyouya knocked several times and Erika rocked on her heels as she waited impatiently. The modest home was familiar but she couldn't summon a single memory of the place. Would her parents be able to see her like Kyouya? The flowers were well kept so they should still be living in the house. Concentrating, she touched the flower and smiled when she felt its soft texture.

As she stroked the petal, Kyouya watched her since he didn't have anything else to do while waiting for her parents to answer the door. He could see her more clearly in the moonlight than the sunlight but the tinge of blue outlining her reminded him that she wasn't human anymore. Forcing himself to look away from her, he turned back to the door and knocked again.

"Is there something you need, young man?" Someone asked him even when no one answered the door. He turned to see who the voice belonged to. An elderly woman stared at him from the porch of the neighbouring house. Confusingly, Erika ducked behind him despite the fact that she was a ghost and she had no reason to hide.

"I'm their neighbour on the other side and I was hoping to speak to the owner of this house. My dog got out and I wanted to know if they could keep an eye out for him while I'm at work." Kyouya thought of a lie quickly so the woman wouldn't think of him as suspicious. She gave him a sympathetic look and he was glad that she believed him. "Do you know if they're home?"

"They left on a trip a while ago actually and I'm taking care of their house for them. I don't know when they'll be back." She told him and Kyouya didn't know if he should be relieved by the information or not. Awkwardly asking them about their dead daughter wasn't the best way to spend the night. He thanked her and went back to his own home since there was nothing more he could do tonight.

Erika followed him, looking over her shoulder as she did so. The woman continued to knit as she sat on the porch and it would be difficult for Kyouya to enter her home with the woman there. Kyouya waited for Erika to enter before he closed the door. A brief glance at her face was enough for him to know that she was conflicted over something.

"What is it?" He asked her when she bit her lip.

"We can't possibly wait for my parents to return to find out the truth! I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight." She answered him and it was on the tip of his tongue out that she was a ghost so she had no need for sleep. "At this moment, neither of us knows another way to find out more about myself. Even if they're home, there should be photos that can tell us about me."

"You're not seriously suggesting that I break into your house with that woman sitting there, are you?" Kyouya asked and her expression told him that she was. He rubbed his forehead. "What if they already cleaned out your room? It's been years. Even if you opened the door for me, that old lady is sitting right there. I promised to help you but I can be thrown in jail for trespassing."

"I think I know of a way!" Erika exclaimed but he didn't know if he should feel the same excitement. It was obvious that she didn't have the same hold on logic as he did, even when she was alive. Not aware of his skepticism, she rushed to his room and he was forced to chase her in case she did something foolish. She only explained her idea when she reached his balcony.

"We should be able to get in through my bedroom window. And that old woman won't be able to see us." Erika climbed onto the rail and Kyouya worried that she would fall. She didn't have the same fear as she jumped onto her balcony rail. Her feet landed perfectly on the flat surface and she looked over her shoulder to grin at him. "C'mon."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Kyouya asked but he tried to steady his body on the rail. His body was larger and heavier than hers so it was more difficult for him to balance himself. Their balconies weren't far apart so he didn't have to jump far to land on her balcony. With his feet safely on the ground, he glared at her since she giggled at his expression.

"You looked so scared. This is easy!" She jumped back and forth on the rails easily. It felt as if she had done so a million times. So she continued to do so even after she had no need to. The sight of the ground below didn't scare her since it felt as if she was home on one of their balconies once she passed that cavern. Feeling weightless, she twirled on his rail to face him.

Kyouya watched her content face as she jumped as if she was weightless, floating above the space between their balconies. He didn't know the appeal the simple action had but she looked happy. Then she spun to face him and he saw her feet begin to slip off the rail even before she began to fall. Instinctively, he reached out to catch her.

His heart only began to beat again when he felt her in his arms. She barely weighed more than a feather but he could feel her body heat. It was a strange aspect of hers since she was a ghost. What would've happened if he hadn't caught her?

"Thank you, Kyouya." She said once her own heart resumed beating. In his arms, she felt secure even if the feeling wasn't as familiar as jumping between their balconies was. She wondered if he could feel her rapidly beating heart as he set her down on the ground again.

"Really, you need to be more careful. There are only so many times I can save you." He told her but there were still uncomfortable questions he had since he saw her fall. If she was a ghost, why did he worry about her well being? He was a man of science so he had to remind himself that she didn't fit into the world he knew. "Let's just go in before we're caught."

"Okay!" Erika walked through the door and into her room. It was mostly dark and she could barely see the interior. She told herself that she needed to focus on helping Kyouya before anyone saw him on her balcony. The doorknob had a thick layer of dust but her hand left no impressions on it as she turned it. Still, she tried to smile when she faced him again. "Welcome to my room."

Kyouya found the light switch easily and turned it on. The room was small and Erika seemed to be determined to fill the space with photos and sketches. Most of the furniture was covered with a white blanket and Erika pulled one off to reveal a desk. Sitting on a chair, she ran her hand over the dust the accumulated over the years. Several figurines sat on the desk as well as framed pictures.

"It doesn't look like your mother threw anything away," Kyouya noted as he looked over her room. He didn't know what exactly they would discover in her room but her sunny personality coated the room in pastel colours. He picked up a stuff dog that sat on her bed and he could easily imagine her playing with it even in her later years.

"Kyouya, can you help me? I want to see if there's something in that box!" Kyouya turned back to find her struggling to reach a shoebox placed on top of her dresser. Even while standing on a chair, her hand barely grazed the box. Watching her haphazardly jump to reach it, he wondered if she was able to fly like other ghosts in fiction.

Kyouya stood behind her and reached over her should to take the box. Erika turned in his arms and heart began to beat faster when she realized how close they were. She never noticed how tall he was until now since only when she stood on a chair was she tall enough to look directly into his eyes. They were crimson red but she didn't find them menacing.

She realized she was staring so quickly turned her gaze to the ground. Trying to escape the circle of his arm, she walked through his arm. Erika sat on her bed and patted the spot next to her to gesture for him to place the box down. Hopefully, there would be something in the box that would tell her more about herself. It looked simple but she felt drawn to it.

Kyouya sat on the bed and placed the box between them. Since it would strain her to do so, he was the opened the box for her. It was filled with photos and a half finished scrapbook. Laying each item on her bed, he took the time to study each one. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Erika's reaction and with each one, her shoulders became tenser.

"I think I was making this for her birthday. I think…" Erika picked up a photo of herself and girl she didn't know. She couldn't stop the tears gathering in her eyes as a memory tried to force its way into her conscious but failed. "Who is she? I really wanted to finish this for her birthday and give it to her. There was something I needed to tell her but I… but I died."

Without a word, Kyouya took the photo from her and set it aside. He caught one of her tears on his thump as he brushed them away. She felt almost real so he moved his fingers through her hair to confirm that she was. Like the time before, his hand passed through the strands. She rubbed her eyes against her sleeve before smiling to him. "I'm silly, crying like this when I already know I'm dead, aren't I?"

"I guess you can say that." He leaned away from her. Kyouya took another picture and handed it to her. "I already promise to help you move on so you can depend on me. I think the girl in this picture was named, Sanda. We were on the student council together but I don't know where she is now. If you remember what you wanted to tell her, I'll tell her for you."

"We must've been the best of friends!" Erika decided after she went through every picture. While she didn't remember any of the moments in the photos, they made her feel happy. One was of their school festival and the only face she could recognize was Kyouya's. To her shock, he was smiling but there was something empty about it. Closing her eyes, she remembered the first time she saw him truly smile.

* * *

 _"Smile." Kyouya said in a light tone and he captured the moment they did with his camera. Usually he wouldn't participate in school events but he was saddled with the task of taking photos when the photographer from the yearbook committee called in sick last minute. He was a part of the student council so it was his responsibility to make sure that the festival went smoothly._

 _It was a silly and pointless event to him but he told himself the credentials will help him in the future. He didn't understand why their teacher insisted that they put on a maid café for the festival. The gimmick was silly and he didn't understand the fetish. But the school festival was a tradition and would help raise funds for school activities._

 _From the corner of his eyes, he could see several girls approach him but he pretended he didn't see them and ducked into another room. He recognized the girls since they would often bother him for pictures and he didn't want to be bothered with them anymore. For most of the day he had been faking a smile and it was beginning to tire him to the point he wanted to leave._

" _Oh!" Someone yelped and he realized that he hit someone with the door when he opened it. Kyouya looked around the door to find his neighbour rubbing her forehead. Her clothes were now covered in flour and he could only imagine the anger she would unleash on him. He quickly apologized but she shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I just hope I have a change of clothes."_

" _If you want, I can help you find something for you to wear. You can't go out with your clothes like this. There should be a spare maid costume." He offered and gave her his napkin. Erika took it and tried to wipe the flour off her the best she could. She appeared to think over his offer before she shook her head._

" _It really doesn't matter since I'm stuck in this kitchen. You see, I have the most important job in our little operation. I'm the official taste tester! Sanda is the baker and I offered to help but she says that it'll be best if I just stick to eating rather than baking." Erika joked but there was something sad in her voice. He didn't know why she wanted to be stuck in the kitchen instead of being a waitress._

" _Sanda is out to deliver the cupcakes so I should text her. I can tell her to get more flour and my gym clothes from my locker on her way back." Erika said to herself more than him but he had to note they had spoken more in the past ten minutes than they had in the past ten years. "I'll have to clean this up or else she'll yell at me for making a mess of her kitchen."_

" _I'll help." Kyouya took the broom before she could. After he swept up the flour, she mopped the floor as she chatted about the bake goods they were planning. It was something mundane but her joy seemed more genuine than the other girls he knew that would speak about stereotypical things to appear cute. "We always end up talking about food, don't we?"_

" _I guess we do but I love my comfort food." Erika laughed at herself. Her eyes landed on his camera and she jumped in excitement. "Can you take a picture for me? It's actually San-chan's birthday soon and I'm making a scrapbook for her. I can't take a picture of us without being obvious. But if you say you're taking pictures for the yearbook she wouldn't know and you can give me the picture afterwards. I'll even pay you!"_

 _Erika took one of the freshly baked cookies and held it out to him. Kyouya knew that it was the payment she meant and almost laughed since only a glutton would accept it as payment. But her large pleading eyes made him think of a puppy and he found himself smiling genuinely. So he took her offer, "I'll take the picture but it'll cost you a dozen cookies."_

* * *

"I want that one!" Erika leaned on his shoulder and pointed to the parfait on the menu. Even as a ghost, she had the same appetite he remembered. He didn't know why someone would kill a girl like Erika. No one came to mind when he tried to think of any enemies she could have.

The previous night, they look through her room but he forced her to stop when he realized how late it was. He didn't want to take any of the photos since it would leave evidence that he was in her room. Erika still wanted to look at photos of her past life so he brought his old year book with him. He still had some time before work so he stopped by Takeru's café.

"I'm not ordering you anything. You can't eat anyway," Kyouya muttered. She pouted at his words and sat back in the chair across from him and stared at his yearbook. He was glad that she didn't try to turn the pages since it would appear that it was turning on its own. Her slightly transparent face reflected more emotions than the people sitting around them.

"Here's your usual and a parfait!" Kyouya looked up when Takeru and raised a brow. He should've known that he would usually only have coffee and a muffin. Takeru sat on the chair Erika occupied, forcing her to stand. She puffed her cheeks in frustration but couldn't do anything to him. His eyes landed on the yearbook on the table. "I haven't looked at this thing in years. It's not like you to get nostalgic."

"I accidentally put it in my bag. I didn't have anything else to do while I wait for you so I was just skimming it." Kyouya took another chair and placed his bag on it. Usually he would keep it on the floor but thought that Erika would be uncomfortable standing. Not to his surprise, she immediately sat in the chair and began to discretely lick the parfait. "I didn't order this parfait."

"I thought I heard someone talking about it and I just assumed that it was you." Takeru looked confused and Kyouya wondered if he could hear Erika's voice. "Well it looks like you had a long day yesterday so you should eat something sweet. And it's not like you to take this with you so my guess was right. Something on your mind?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about. Too bad you weren't smart enough to get into the same school as me. High school would've been more entertaining with you. I don't even remember half of these people in here." Kyouya turned the pages absentmindedly. "A lot of the students came here, didn't they? Do you remember any rumours?"

"What kind of rumours? A lot of students did come and they gossip but I never really listened to them." It was so long ago that Kyouya didn't expect Takeru to remember anything. While Erika was bullied, he didn't think it was more than the usually teasing students faced. Suddenly, Takeru pointed to a picture. "I remember these two!"

Kyouya eyes widened when he saw that Takeru was pointing to photo of Erika and Sanda. "They would come every day afterschool. I remember them because that girl with the brown hair would try all of my creations and said they tasted great. Her friend always made this funny face whenever she saw them but she liked eating them too. She still comes every once in a while."

"Really? I think we were on the council together but I never really kept in touch with her. Do you think you could call me the next time she comes in? There's something I want to ask her about. Just tell her that it's about her friend Erika." Kyouya asked and Takeru nodded even though he didn't fully understand. His friend wasn't a sociable person so what could he want to speak to her for?

"I will but in exchange, I want you to tell me what got you so distracted. No matter what you're going through, I'll try to help you." Kyouya doubted he could tell his friend the truth. Would Takeru even believe him if he did? He ate his muffin as he thought over what to tell him.

"I was going through some files at the school and I came across one about my neighbour. I don't think she was the type of person someone would want to kill. I just have some questions about her since I'm curious about her disappearance." Kyouya lied. "Some of my students said that there's a suspicious guy so I'm more worried about these things."

"It must be hard being a teenage girl." Takeru sympathized. "At least they have a teacher that cares."

"I should be going then. I won't be a good teacher if I'm late." Kyouya stood and placed enough to cover the bill on the table. Takeru waved to him before he realized something. He was about to ask if he still wanted to parfait but saw that it had been completely eaten.

* * *

 **Look at me updating so much this week ^-^ just watch me drop off the face of the earth and not update for weeks XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters**

* * *

Erika swung her legs as she sat in the empty desk. Kyouya agreed to let her sit in his classroom while he taught on the condition that she didn't distract him. She listened to the lesson and found that it was surprisingly easy to understand. While she didn't enjoy science, Kyouya's explanation was simple and she could understand why all of his students were listening intently.

Still, she found herself distracted from his lesson. Science never really interested her so she tried to entertained herself. Erika leaned over one of the girl's shoulder and read the text she was writing. Reading the seemingly mundane conversation made Erika laugh and wonder if she was the same in highschool.

"If you feel that you don't need to focus on my lecture and text in my class, you must already know how to solve for acceleration. Go up to the board and solve it for us." Kyouya stern voice made them both jump. Erika felt guilty that she caused the girl trouble but there was nothing she could do as a ghost. She watched the girl stand in front of the board and struggle to solve the question.

Kyouya leaned against the board and watched his student try to work the question out in her head. While he was known for being a kind a reliable teacher, he couldn't be too lenient with his students or they would try to take advantage of him. He intended to step in and help her but stopped when he saw Erika stand next to her and take her hand.

Even if the girl hadn't paid attention to Kyouya's lesson, Erika was and gently guided the chalk to write the formula she needed to use to solve the question. Kyouya was more shocked than the girl since he didn't think Erika would be able to solve the question. She stepped back and allowed the student to answer the rest of the question on her own.

"You were almost right but you substituted gravitational force with frictional force. You need to learn the difference or else you'll mistake them again. Acceleration is 8.3 km/s." Kyouya corrected her answer. The bell rung, signalling the end of the school day, so he ended the lecture. "Don't forget your assigned reading and to finish your practise questions. You'll need to study hard for your next test."

"Good luck!" Erika tried to encourage the students despite how they couldn't hear her. She remembered how nervous she would be before a major test. When she felt daggers on her back, she knew that it was Kyouya's glare and hesitantly turned to face him. Quickly, she lowered her head. "I'm sorry! I just couldn't stand seeing her struggle. What if her friends made fun of her?"

"I know my students are smart enough to find the answer for themselves but they're also teenage girls. If they need to talk to me about anything, they know they can." Kyouya assured her. He didn't know how much she remembered about her own experience but it was clear she sympathized with her. "Worry about those students is my job so you don't need to worry. It's time to go home."

"You really care about your students, don't you? At first I thought someone as rude as you wouldn't be able to be a patient teacher but you're surprisingly good with them." Erika fell into step next to him. Not surprisingly, she began to pepper him with questions again. "What kind of teachers did I have? Were they as good of a teacher as you?"

"I'm not that much of a teacher. I just teach them what's in the text," Kyouya said as he shrugged his shoulder. He tried to keep his voice below a whisper so the students passing him wouldn't think that he was talking to himself. "The teachers we had in highschool are still here so it might be good to talk to them. Then again they'll probably complain about your daydreaming in class."

"I wasn't that bad, was I?" Erika thought back to her student records and wondered if that what her low grades were caused by. Without tack, Kyouya nodded and she puffed her cheeks at how quickly he answered her question. "Well, there's nothing wrong with getting distracted every once in awhile. I'm sure I was a good student. Let's go find one of my old teachers now!"

Erika walked ahead of him and looked into each room, looking for the staff room. He didn't know why she didn't wait for him to show her the way and searched for it herself. But watching her curious eyes, he was reminded of a dog and the sight made him smile. It was an honest expression that he rarely saw and it was refreshing to him.

"Erika, the room is this way." He called to her and he pointed to the right door. She blushed and followed him into the room. There were several teachers in the room but she didn't recognize any of them. With a quick glance towards Kyouya, she tried to see any spark of recognition in his eyes. "The homeroom teacher we had always stays after school so he should be here soon."

"I guess we can only wait," Erika sighed. Kyouya sat in his desk and began to write in his notebook. Bored, she sat on the empty desk next to his and watched him make practise questions. The other teachers didn't try to talk to him and he seemed content with that. He spoke freely with Takeru but he didn't seem to have many friends outside of him.

He poked her leg with his pencil and gestured to his notebook when he finally gained her attention. In the notebook, he wrote. _What's with that expression? He should be here soon so you should just be patient_.

Though his eyes were distant, she could see from his words that he was thinking of her. She smiled at the thought and wondered how he would react if she told him that she was thinking of him. "You don't seem to have many friends among the teachers. I thought at least one of them would approach you since you all work together."

 _God, I hope they don't. These women give me a headache whenever they try to talk to me. Romantic relationships between teachers are forbidden yet they try to flirt with me._ Kyouya wrote. He was an attractive man and she wondered why he hadn't found himself a relationship yet. Then again, she knew it would be hard to find a person willing to put up with his personality.

"It's strange to see you staying so late, Sata. You usually just bring your work home with you." Kyouya looked over his shoulder to see his old teacher. He taught him and Erika during their last year of highschool so was the only teacher that felt comfortable enough to approach him.

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you about something, Mr. Kitamura." Kyouya stood and when he did, he felt Erika rush to his side. Discretely, he placed his hand over hers to tell her that she needed to be patient. "Is it possible to speak with you privately?"

"Of course. Shall we talk in the courtyard?" He offered.

They walked out of the staff room and Erika studied the man. She studied his strict expression but couldn't remember a single thing about the man. If she could barely remember him, would he be able to tell them anything about herself? She noted that Kyouya's steps were awkward and she knew that he was trying to think of a way to ask their teacher about her before they reach the courtyard.

"You can tell him that you're planning a class reunion and ask about me!" Erika offered an explanation he could use and he appeared to think over the option. While she wanted to know more about herself, she didn't want to cause him any trouble- at least not intentionally. She listed off several more excuses he could use as they walked.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" He asked once they were alone. Kyouya still didn't know how to bring up Erika so used the explanation she gave him.

"An old classmate of mine wanted to plan a reunion and asked me about inviting Erika. I told her that she died. I don't know what exactly happened to her so I was wondering if you could tell me. You were our teacher so she must've told you something before she disappeared." Kyouya started.

"It's not like you to involve yourself in someone else's business. Especially since it's years after the fact." Mr. Kitamura noted and Kyouya knew that it was true. "I told the police everything I know. I don't like thinking back on her and wondering if there was anything I could've done to help her. She was my student and you should understand how important each student is to me."

"That still leaves a lot of questions. She was my neighbour and classmate but I didn't notice anything amiss until she disappeared. I guess I'm just curious about what happened to her since the police couldn't find any clue about her disappearance. Did she have any friends she could talk to in class? I know she had some trouble with our classmates but there must've been someone she could talk to."

"She did have a boyfriend. Kimura Yoshito was his name." Kyouya was shocked by the answer since he thought that Erika lied about having one. "They only dated for a short time. I think it they started seeing each other a month before she disappeared. She never told me anything but she might've told him something. Try talking to him."

"I will." Kyouya made a note to remember the name. He didn't develop any deep relationship with the people in his class but his student council duties forced him to speak with them occasionally. Kimura didn't stand out in his memory and wondered what kind of man he was if he dated Erika. Honestly, it was hard for him to imagine Erika dating anyone.

Kyouya looked back to Erika to see her reaction to the name but she appeared confused. She bit her lower lip, as if she was trying to remember him, before she shook her head. Why did she remember Kyouya but wasn't able to summon a memory of anyone else. If she truly loved Kimura and dated him, shouldn't he be important enough to remember?

* * *

"Do you think we'll ever find out what happened to me?" Erika asked as she collapsed on his bed. She looked more tired than usual and he wondered if she was emotionally drained or something else. Her skin appeared slightly more transparent than usual and he sat next to her. Even when his weight shifted the bed, she didn't move.

She reached over the side of the bed after a while and took his bag from where he left it on the floor. Erika pulled out his yearbook. Flipping through the pages, she found Kimura. Still she didn't feel anything as she looked at his photo. Turning on her stomach, she faced Kyouya. "Did I really date this guy? What kind of person was he? Should we go see him?"

"Do you really think I have the answer to any of those questions? Mr. Kitamura said you were dating and we have no reason not to believe him. I doubt Kimura will just appear at Takeru's café so it's not likely that we'll be able to speak with him." Erika knew that Kyouya was being logical but she didn't want to let the opportunity go when she could learn more about herself.

The thought of having a boyfriend never crossed her mind. She remembered the ridicule she faced for not having one but had pushed it to the back of her mind. Her goal was to learn more about herself and what she went through. Was she happy the months before she died? But when she looked at herself in the yearbook, she felt as if she was looking at a stranger.

The bed shifted beneath her again and Kyouya reached over her shoulder to take the yearbook. He could easily read her emotions on her face and the somber expression made his heart feel heavy. It was strange for her not to have a silly expression and he found that he preferred her smile than the one she had now. With her messy brown, she almost looked like a puppy so he patted her head.

"Stop making that face. We might not be able to talk to him but we should be able to talk to your friend, Sanda. You can talk about whatever you girls talk about and learn what you want to know. Then you can rest in peace." Kyouya continued to stroke her hair, find the locks soft and warm to his touch. It was oddly familiar and he wondered why.

* * *

 _Erika hummed to herself as she played with the snow that gathered on her balcony. She sculpted the snow into a misshaped snowman but at the age of five it was all she was capable of. She lined her snowmen in a row to show her mom. Just as she turned to fetch her, Erika heard the door slam._

" _You can't kick Koro out! If you stupid maids do, I'll just stay out here with him and then you'll have to explain to Father why I got sick!" Erika stood on her toes to look over the balcony but she could barely see over the rail. She knew that her neighbour had a son but she never met him until now. Even though she couldn't see him, she could hear him. "Koro's my only friend so don't you dare touch him."_

 _It started snowing and Erika knew that it would become colder so she went into the shelter of her room. As she started to take off her scarf, her eyes drifted to the balcony across from hers. Remembering the boy's words, she made up her mind and pulled her blanket off her bed. Gathering her extra coats and scarfs in the blanket, she slung the load over her shoulder._

 _With the blanket over her shoulder, a board under her arm and a step stool, she started her trip across the balcony. Since she was so short, she used the step stool to reach the rail and the thick board became a bridge. Erika pressed her hand against the board to make sure that it wouldn't break beneath her weight before she made her way across._

 _Her heart pounded the entire journey, worried that the board would break. Luckily, it didn't and she quickly found herself on the other side. As she tried to ease herself off the rail, the snow shifted and she fell ungracefully onto the balcony. It didn't hurt and she thought that it was the snow at first but when she looked down, she found herself on top of a boy._

" _I'm sorry!" Erika quickly stood and bowed to him. The boy scowled at her and she expected him to yell at her the way he yelled at his maid. While his eyes were filled with anger, it became softer when he petted the brown dog next to him. He carefully checked the dog but it didn't seem injured as it climbed onto his lap and licked his face._

" _At least Koro's okay. If anything had happened to him, I would've thrown you off this balcony. Who are you and what are you doing here? Are you some pervert?" The boy started to question her and she didn't know if she had made the right decision to see him. His eyes were different when it addressed her than when he looked at the dog._

" _I'm Erika Shinohara! I live next door." Erika introduced herself and held out her hand to him. He didn't take it but she didn't let it discourage her. Instead, she unfurled her blanket and hand him the scarf hidden inside. "I heard you say that you would stay out here and thought that you might get cold so I came over to lend you my blanket."_

" _I don't need it." He stubbornly refused. Then he sneezed, making her laugh since he looked so silly with his red nose. Without his consent, she took the scarf and wrapped it around his neck. He watched her in shock as she took another scarf and wrapped it around his puppy. "Hey, don't touch Koro like you're his friend. He's my puppy so ask me first."_

" _You have a very grumpy master, Koro." Erika spoke with the dog and laughed when it barked as if agreeing with her. It licked her hand as she placed a hat over its head. He stopped scowling at her and watched her with curiosity now. She sat next to him and wrapped them both in her blanket. "I'm Erika and this is Koro so what's your name?"_

" _Kyouya… Kyouya Sata." He answered her. His voice was a little hesitant and Erika wondered if he was shy. But from the way to held Koro to his chest, she knew that he couldn't be cruel despite how he yelled at her at first. They fell into an awkward silence and she tried to think of something they could talk about. She only met the boy so didn't know if they had anything in common._

" _Why did you say that you'll stay out here until you catch a cold?" She asked him and stared at his face._

" _They wanted to make Koro sleep outside in his dog house just because he chewed up some of the pillows. That's so unfair to make a puppy go out into the snow for something so little. We have a thousand pillows." Kyouya ranted and only lowered his voice when Koro started to whine. "I just don't want Koro to get sick."_

" _You must really love him. Aren't you a lucky boy, Koro? Your master might be a grump but he's going to protect you." Erika petted the dog. Then she turned away and sneezed loudly. Kyouya had to laugh at the sight since she looked silly as she rubbed her nose. Her dark hair reminded him of Koro so he pulled her closer. "You're so warm."_

 _She leaned back against him and smiled. The blanket was warm but it wasn't big enough for all three of them unless they were sitting close as they were doing now. Erika felt him stroke her hair and found that it was oddly relaxing. They talked with each other as the snow fell around them but she felt safe as if they were in their own little world. Eventually, she found her mind drifting off._

* * *

"Wake up, Kyouya." Erika poked his cheek persistently. He tried to slap her hand away and gain a few more moments of sleep. She didn't allow to fall asleep again as she shook him more rigorously. "There's someone knocking at your door, Kyouya! I can't open it so you have to."

"The most annoying alarm clock ever." Kyouya muttered as she pushed himself off the bed. When the sleep haze started to fade, he realized that someone was knocking on his door softly. He knew that it couldn't be Takeru since he would knock more loudly. Looking at the time, he saw that it was almost midnight so he wondered who would try to talk to him so late.

Even though the knocking was soft, it was persistent. He thought of ignoring it but he didn't know if it was important or not. Erika followed behind him as he made his way to the front door. He looked through the window to see who was knocking but he didn't recognize the dark haired girl. There was only one way he would learn so he opened the door. "Hello?"

"Hello, my name Kasai Yukari. You spoke with my mother the other night and she told me that you were looking for your dog. I'm on vacation from work so I can keep my eyes out for your dog." The woman said and Kyouya wondered why she would visit him to tell him something so simple. She looked familiar but he couldn't place where he saw her before.

"It's okay. I found my dog and took her to my friend so he could take care of her while I'm at work." He told her and expected her to leave but she didn't. Kyouya didn't know what else she expected so tried to prompt her to leave. "Thank you for the thought and good night."

"Actually, I was wondering if you remember me. We went to highschool together and I recognized you when I saw you walking to work. I was hoping that we could go out to dinner and catch up." She offered and he frowned. It always eluded him why women would ask him out when they barely knew him.

"I'm sorry but I don't know when I have time to go out with anyone." Kyouya rejected her. Suddenly he felt someone tackle him from behind and looked behind him to find Erika hugging his waist. She watched Kasai with distrust. Though she didn't remember the woman, Erika felt oddly possessive when she asked Kyouya on a date.

"If you ever change your mind, I live two doors down so you can talk to me whenever you want." She offered and Kyouya thought over how to answer her. He didn't want to date her but she was a classmate and could know something about Erika. Before he could answer, Erika closed the door. For a moment, he stared at her with wide eyes.

"If you start dating her, you won't have time to help me. Remember you promised!" Erika told him and he could see how serious her eyes were. She puffed her cheeks in frustration when he didn't respond. "You said yourself that you don't have time for a relationship. She just seemed like the type of person who won't take a rejection unless it's clear. So I helped you."

Kyouya burst out in laughter and patted her head. "What are you, a guard dog? But thanks for rejecting her for me."

* * *

 **Crawls out from a dark abyss and finally update. I was in editor's hell and making a special video but now that it's finish I can focus on writing again. Like this fanfic is going to turn out like my other mysteries, 80% fluff and 20% actual mystery XD I can't help it since I'm a romantic at heart.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters**

* * *

"You seem kinda nervous today. Is everything okay, Kyouya?" Takeru asked as he watched his friend look nervously around him. He had decided to visit his friend since they haven't spoken for a while. As usual, they would play chess together but Kyouya seemed distracted. "You know you can tell me if something is bothering you."

Kyouya couldn't answer him and he wanted desperately to yell at Erika to stop playing with the pawns. He stopped himself since he knew that he couldn't reveal her presence to Takeru. He hated to lie to Takeru but the only answer he could give was, "I'm fine. I guess I just have a lot on my mind now that midterms are almost here. I was just thinking of anything I could do to help them."

"It must be hard being a teacher. I don't know how you can handle a class of girls if they're anything like the ones I knew." Takeru had gone to an all boys school and only had brothers but many girls did visit his café. Kyouya didn't respond because he had taught a variety of students throughout his career. There were students like the one Takeru must've been thinking off but there were also bright ones.

"Move the queen to B5 so that he can't move his bishop to attack the king." Erika was focused on the chess set rather than their conversation. Kyouya was surprised when Takeru actually followed her instruction. Could he hear Erika? He had never told him about being able to. Thinking back, he was able to hear Erika order a parfait when they visited his café.

"I thought it was the king's duty to protect his queen. Why did you move your queen if that's what you believe?" Kyouya asked, trying not to give away too much with his words. He needed to know how much he could hear her or was aware of her. Takeru looked conflicted for a moment before leaning over the table to whisper to him.

"You know how I've gotten really good at chess? It's because I've been getting help from my guardian angel. Whenever I'm playing with you, I can hear this voice helping me. Without her, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to play as well." Takeru explained. Kyouya looked at Erika who was guiltily staring at the ground to avoid his eyes.

"I should've known that I was giving you too much credit when I thought that you were actually improving." Kyouya asked and Takeru was surprised that his friend hadn't immediately called him crazy. Honestly, Kyouya would've done so if Takeru had told him before Erika came into his life again. "How long have this angel been helping you cheat?"

"But I have been improving! She has only been helping me when I really need it." Takeru insisted. "She started helping in chess last year. You know when we went to that shrine? I wished for everyone I cared for to find happiness so I don't know why the gods gave me an angel that's really good at chess."

"She's more like a yelping dog," Kyouya whispered under his breath and tried not to react when Erika kicked him under the table. He remembered the shrine they visited and wondered if it had a connection to why he could see Erika now. He wondered if he should tell Takeru about her since he could already hear her voice. Unfortunately, Erika spoke before he could make a decision.

"You can hear me!" Takeru jumped at the familiar voice becoming much louder. He would only hear it giving him advice when playing but now the animated voice echoed around the room. "I thought Kyouya was the only one that could hear me. It's nice that you called me an angel but I'm not one. You see, I don't know what I am and Kyouya's helping me discover who I am."

"Do you hear that Kyouya?" Takeru jumped in surprise and almost turned over the table. Kyouya quickly stabled the table and kept the glass pieces from becoming chipped. He threw a glare at Erika but she ignored him. Now that she knew that Kyouya wasn't the only one that could see her, she felt as if she was closer to finding out who she was.

"My name's Erika." She introduced herself when Takeru seemed to calm down enough to listen to her. He looked around the room confused and it was clear that he wasn't able to see her even if he could hear her. So she took Kyouya's discarded sweater and put it on. It was a little large on her but it was enough to show Takeru where she was.

"This is the reason I've been so distracted. You know that girl that went missing years ago? Well, her ghost has been haunting me until I help her find out what happened to her. That's why I wanted you to help me get in contact with her friend." Kyouya explained the situation and Takeru sat down in a daze. He couldn't blame him for being so shocked.

"You're a ghost?" Takeru asked as he stared at the jacket seemingly floating in the air. "Why didn't you tell my about this sooner, Kyouya?"

"The same reason you didn't tell me that she was helping you cheat. And how dare you mess with my friend like that?" Kyouya chastised Erika and pinched her cheek. He couldn't help but worry about what would've happened if Takeru began to doubt his sanity because of her. "Out of all the people you could mess with, why does it have to be me and my friend?"

"But I couldn't stand seeing him lose so much. I thought he couldn't hear. You were really the first person that I've been able to interact with like this." Erika spoke the best she could with him playing with her cheeks. Their eyes met and her wide eyes reflected her honesty such that it made him stop. He didn't know why his heart suddenly felt lighter but he could react by pulling on her cheeks harder.

"You two really seem to get along, don't you?" Takeru laugh made them stop. He looked much more relax now, despite the strange situation. "My grandma always told me that I had a gift but I didn't think it would be something this strange. Maybe we both have a gift Kyouya and it's our duty to help lost souls find peace like Erika here."

"I didn't ask for a roommate like her." Kyouya rolled his eyes but caught Erika's frown in the corner of his eyes. He couldn't take back his words but something close to regret turned his stomach at the sight of her sadness. He placed a hand on her head and petted her as if she was a dog. "But I'm stuck with her so I guess the only thing I can do is help her."

"Then I'll help too! Actually, I came here to tell you that Sanda came to the café today. She could only stay for a few minutes but I told her about how you wanted to talk to her about Erika. She said that she doesn't have work on Saturday and wants to talk to you. The reason I visited you today was to tell you that but I got really into our game and forgot."

"Remind me of the good qualities you had that made me want to be your friend?" Kyouya sighed. Even if his friend was forgetful at times, he did give them an opportunity to learn more about Erika's past. He didn't remember much about Sanda but knew that she was constantly defending Erika. He wondered about the woman even after Takeru left.

Kyouya collapsed on his bed and tried to think of how would bring up the sensitive topic of her deceased friend. The weekend wouldn't be for a few more days so he had a few more days to think it over. He felt the bed shift next to him and he turned to see that Erika slumped onto the bed next to him. She was still wearing his jacket and she looked much smaller and fragile in it.

"Do you think everything will be okay on Saturday? I can't help thinking of what I wanted to tell her and that I'll know what happened to me if I could remember. What if we meet her and she said that I did something to anger someone? That the reason I-" She fumbled for words until Kyouya gathered her into his arms and pulled her closer to him.

"Don't say something stupid. As if someone as stupidly kind as you could do anything to make someone want to hurt you. You helped Takeru in chess and you helped my student answer that question. You were also making that present for her so you two must be close. Your biggest crime is talking too much and annoying me."

Kyouya pinched her cheek again but it didn't irritate her since it felt kinder now. He was glad that she was smiling again even if it was a small one. She shifted and rested her head on his shoulder. When he looked at her again, it seemed like she was falling asleep. "I don't remember much about Sanda. What kind of person is she? I should know so I don't say anything that would offend her."

"She's a really nice person, I think. I don't remember much about her from the pictures I can tell that we were close. I wouldn't be so close with someone that's mean." Both Erika and Takeru spoke highly of her so Kyouya reasoned with himself that she couldn't be too difficult to deal with.

* * *

"Takeru told me that you know something about my friend, Erika." Sanda addressed him with a measuring gaze and Kyouya's back straightened because her eyes were so hard. He remembered that she was quite serious in their student council meetings but he thought there would be a hint of kindness in her eyes. Erika was confused as well because her instinct told her the cold aura wasn't familiar.

"I recognize that we went to school together but I must tell you that I'm tired of people running me in circles with false leads for the reward money I've put up. The only reason I still follow every lead is because I still think she is alive so tell me what you know." Sanda sat down and crossed her legs. Kyouya sat across from her and looked into her eyes so she could see his sincerity.

"I wasn't even aware of any reward money until now and I have no need for money." Kyouya told her and sympathised with her when he saw her shoulder visibly relax. It had been years since Erika disappeared and she was still searching for her. "I actually thought that you would have some answer for me. So you really don't know what happened to her?"

"If I had any clue, I would've gone to the police years ago." Sanda face became contorted with guilt. "I'm her best friend yet I can't do anything to help her."

"It's okay, San-chan." Erika tried to hug her but her arms passed through her. Suddenly, memories rushed through her mind. They passed so quickly that they were still a blur to her but the emotions behind them were so vivid that they hurt. "You've helped me so much so please don't feel like this is your fault. I'm so sorry I put you through this."

Kyouya watched the pair but knew that there was little he could do for them. "I'm sorry I don't have the answers either. I'm just her neighbour and we only spoke occasionally but she spoke a lot about you so I thought you might know something. Her disappearance has been bothering me for a while but I only decided recently to look into it. Do you know anyone that would hurt her?"

"There were people who didn't like her but I don't think any of them would do something like this to her. I really think that she's in danger because she wouldn't let her parents and me worry like this." Sanda insisted and Kyouya agreed. He knew that it would break her heart if he told her that Erika's ghost was sitting next to them so the best they could do was find her body.

"Then was there anyone she would go to help is she couldn't reach you or her parents? I heard that she had a boyfriend." Kyouya prompted. Sanda thought for a moment before she shook her head.

"Really, I think she went out with him because of the bullying. I was surprised when Erika told me they were dating since they barely knew each other. They weren't even in the same class. But she told me that she was happy and the bullying died down a little so I didn't say anything. If she did go to him for help, he would have enough sense to call the police."

"That makes sense." Kyouya nodded. Then he took out the scrapbook he found in Erika's room and handed it to her. "This is what made me want to look into Erika's case. When we were in high school, she asked me to hide this for her. She was making it for your birthday and didn't want you to find it in her room. Since we were neighbors, it was convenient to keep it with me."

Sanda opened it and pictures made her chuckle and tear up at the same time. It was so like Erika to make something so simple but treat it like an elaborate surprise. The scrapbook wasn't finished and she wished that Erika could've given it to herself. "The last time she came over to work on it, she said something that troubled me. She said that she wanted to tell you something and she sounded scared."

"And she didn't tell you what it was?" Sanda pressed and Kyouya regrettably shook his head. She leaned back in her chair and chewed her lip. "There was nothing she would hold back from me. The moment anything happened to her or worried her, she would've told me. There were times when she lied but if it was something serious, she wouldn't hold back."

"I didn't see why she had to lie. Her personality might be a bit boisterous but I'm sure she could've made friends by being herself. Just talking to you, I can tell you know her well and you still believe in her. I don't know if many people would search for their friend as long as you have. If you remember anything else, please call me."

Sanda took the note he held out to her. "You must've been close to her as well if she trusted you with the scrapbook. I'm surprise. Erika actually talked about you but I didn't thought you noticed her much. You might not have known but all those times you defended her meant a lot to her. High school was a hard time for her but I'm glad it wasn't just me looking out for her."

"I don't think I did much," Kyouya said and scratched the back of his neck. Even the small moments he remembered, he couldn't think of them as anything significant. Sanda only smiled knowingly and Erika was glad that she didn't look as tired as she did before. She thought that would be the end of their meeting but Kyouya didn't stand.

"It's been a while but can you remember any place that was really important to Erika? It might not be much but I want to try to visit them." Kyouya asked and she thought for a moment.

"School wasn't that much of a peaceful place for her but there was one room she was always happy in. The art room had a space for glass making and she loved practicing her art there. She spent so much time there and the teachers trusted her that they gave her the keys. After school, she would stay in there and make glass statues. She was going to make a career out of it."

"Only she would choose a job with so little security because she loved it." Erika blushed at their conversation. It was as if he had forgotten that she was sitting next to him and poked his side as if to tell him to not say anything bad about her. Her serious eyes only made him want to laugh harder. But maybe going back to the art room would bring back some memories.

"Thank you for your time but I should really be leaving before it gets too late." Kyouya stood and Erika did the same but she didn't leave immediately. She ran to Takeru and pointed to the menu.

"She loves that cake. I remember! Please make it for her and Kyouya will pay for me." She knew that Takeru could hear her and he looked a little confuse for a moment before nodding. She grinned and went back to Sanda, hugging her as well much as she could. "Don't worry, Sanda. I'll find out what happened to me so you won't have to worry anymore. Thank you for everything."

Erika let go of her and went back to Kyouya's side. He didn't react when she took his hand since he knew that she needed the reassurance of his touch. Tightening his grip slightly, he silently tried to comfort her the best he could. He whispered under his breath so only she could hear him. "It's going to be okay."

Takeru placed a piece of cake in front of Sanda and her eyes widened when she saw it. He only smiled at her. "It's on the house. I thought you might need something sweet after that. I remember you liked this."

"Thank you. It might just be my emotions playing tricks on me but I thought I heard her voice for a moment." Sanda said as she ate the cake and the familiar taste comforted her.

"Maybe she's watching over us and trying to help us find out what happened to her." Takeru smiled.

"But that means she's dead."

* * *

"It was nice to see San-chan again." Erika leaned her head on Kyouya's shoulder. They rocked along with the train in silence. He placed his things next to him and she sat them so someone wouldn't sit on her, thinking the spot was free. They stared at the scene rushing pass outside the window.

They decided to go to the art room since he had a key to the school. He could always say he forgot something is someone questioned him. "It's strange. I know the memories are there but I can't see them. The memories of you are coming back slower but they're clearer too. I wonder why."

"Maybe it's best not to think about it too much. This is confusing for both of us and we have no way of finding the answer at the moment. Let's focus on what we can do for now." If Kyouya was honest, he was curious about what she was. What would happen when they find out what happened to her? A part of him hoped that it wasn't too tragic but he knew there was little chance for that.

The train suddenly jerked to a stop and Kyouya quickly wrapped his arms around Erika to keep her from falling out of her seat. At the same time, she grabbed his sleeve and accidentally pulled him down with her. He quickly caught himself so he wouldn't crush her beneath his weight. When he opened his eyes, he found that they were so close that their nose almost touched.

"I'm sorry!" Erika apologized, her face scarlet red. After a moment to regain his composure, he sat up and tried to ignore the people staring at him. He told himself that it their stares that made his face burn and nothing related to Erika.

"You really like causing me trouble, don't you?" He said with an irritated tone. Kyouya found a conductor and he told him that there was something blocking the path. He sat down again. "He said he didn't know when they'll be able to fix it. It'll probably be too late to go to the school by time they're done so it'll be better to head home now. What do you think Erika?"

"What's that place?" Erika asked him as she looked out the window and pointed to the large building in the distance. It seemed to be glowing gold in the darkness. Staring at it, she felt conflicted since it seemed both familiar to her and eerie.

"That's the shrine a lot of people go to. Do you want to check it out?" Kyouya asked but Erika took a long time to answer him. She closed her eyes and seemed to make her decision when she opened them. Her grip on his hand tightened as she walked out of the train with him.

They walked to the shrine together and it was most uncrowded. The pillars stood in front of them and he wondered if a ghost could enter a sacred place like the shrine. She didn't enter the shrine and instead walked around it until she stopped in front of a well. Kyouya watched her, confused, as she leaned over the edge.

* * *

 _"Help me, please!" Erika cried as she tried to escape. Her voice echoed against the wall but she wondered if anyone would be able to hear her. She wanted to cry since it seemed like there was no escape for her. She had lost count of how long she had been trapped._

 _Erika sank to her knees and water rippled around her. She didn't know where she was but she thought that it was a large pit. The water only reached her ankles but it was enough to create a chill through her body. She wondered how she would die, starvation, pneumonia or dehydration._

 _Water began to rain over her and Erika jumped to her feet. She didn't know if it was natural or not until she heard someone laugh above her. Even knowing that it was pointless, she cried. "Please, stop! I'm sorry and I promise I won't tell anyone so let me go. Please let me out, it's so cold!"_

* * *

"Erika!" Kyouya pulled her away from the well when he saw her body tremble violently. She didn't fight him and willingly fell back into his arms. She didn't cry but he could hear her ragged breath. He stroked her hair to comfort her but it didn't seem to do much as she buried her face in his chest.

"It was so cold." She was finally able to speak. Kyouya took his jacket and wrapped it around her in a feeble attempt to comfort her. He brushed his lips over her temple and whispered in her ear.

"It's okay. I'm here and I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

* * *

 **What is this cruelty? A flashback that's not all fluff? I love Erika and Kyouya but I need to keep the mystery going.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters**

* * *

Erika was silent as they walked back to his home. Kyouya carried her on his back and he knew how silly he must look, carrying an invisible load. But she had been silent and stiff ever since she looked into the well. She barely responded to him when he tried to pull her away. So he was forced to carry her back.

"I'm sorry, I must be heavy." Erika said softly against his neck. He stopped himself from commenting that she was a ghost so didn't weigh a thing. Reminding her about her condition would only worsen the sober atmosphere around them. He adjusted his hold on her so he could pat her head with his free hand. Her hair was soft and it reminded him of his puppy when she leaned into his hand.

"You're a troublesome puppy, aren't you?" Kyouya chuckled and she made a feeble rebuttal. It wasn't as passionate as the other times she talked back to him but it was better than her silence. Her body was small but he could feel her warmth press into his back. That simple feeling reassured him of her presence. "How are you going to repay me for carrying you?"

"I can kick your butt in chess again. You always complain to Takeru that you're not challenged enough. Maybe losing to me will humble you." Erika challenged and Kyouya couldn't help but laugh harder. Her voice was stronger now and he felt her straighten. Even though he knew she could walk by herself now, he let her indulge herself by continuing to carry her.

"I don't remember you ever beating me." Kyouya shot back playfully. They hadn't played another round of chess since the first day she appeared. She cheekily told him that he forfeited when he put away the board. "That doesn't count. When we get home, we'll play and I'll win and you'll have to find another way to repay me for this."

"If you're going to act like a spoil prince, I'll walk by myself." Erika puffed her cheeks but neither made an effort to let her down. Instead, she pressed her face against his shoulder again. She knew that she would have to discuss what she saw with Kyouya but she didn't know how to bring it up. He tilted his face slightly and saw her expression.

"Whatever you remembered, you don't need to tell me. I promised to help you discover who you were but that doesn't mean you need to tell me all of your secrets." Kyouya wondered what she remembered. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before she started to remember how she died but a part of him hoped that she wouldn't.

"It was cold." Erika told him as she nestled further into his warmth. Her voice shook and she didn't know why she was telling him about her memory. "I don't know where I was because it was too dark to see anything. It was like I was trapped and the light above me was forever out of reach. I couldn't get out and I think I wanted to give up. I think I died in that hell."

"You're not there anymore. You're with me now," Kyouya reminded her. His body was warm like a furnace and it made her feel less lonely. No matter what kind of person he seemed like when they first met, moments like these told her that he was kind deep inside. "You want to know who you were but that doesn't mean we need to learn about your death."

Erika knew that he was trying to spare her feelings but the memory still replayed itself in her mind. No matter how much she tried to push it away, it was there. "There was someone there at the opening of the hole. They didn't help me… Maybe I did something really bad that they didn't want to help me. What if I find out that I was a terrible person? My classmates thought I was a liar."

"Those bullies thought I was some prince so that shows how much they know. You made one mistake but you didn't make a pattern of it. We only spoke a few times in high school but I could tell you weren't a bad person. You were always trying to smile and be strong in front of your friend but I can tell that you were lonely." _Like I was._

"Do you remember how we first met? I dreamed about it last night, after we spoke with San-chan. I'm pretty sure that I was trespassing then." Erika reminisced. Kyouya was shocked by her words. She had remembered that moment the same time he did. "You were a grumpy person even back then but you showed me how to play chess. You haven't changed a bit."

"With how you crash into my life all the time, you haven't changed either. We were just kids then and we never talk again afterwards." Kyouya thought back on the time. Even though they knew each other and lived so close to each other, they never talked much. How different would his life be if he had someone like her in his life from a young age?

"I tried visiting you but your maids always said that you were at some lesson."

"Piano." Kyouya confirmed. "I hated it so I was never that good. I didn't like any math and science either but I was competent enough in the subjects to make a career out of them. Takeru isn't the best at baking but it's obvious he loves it and he's happier with his career than I am. Because of that, I always tell my students to choose a job that they're passionate about rather than settling like I did."

"You look happy when you're teaching and your students respect you. So, I don't think you settled." Erika thought back to the times she would sit through his class.

"You were asleep in most of my lectures so how should you know?" While his words were sarcastic, they didn't have his usual bit in them. "That's another thing that hasn't changed since high school. Even if you didn't have the best grades, you could always fall back on your art skills. You did glass making, didn't you?"

"You're asking me this?" Erika sighed. While she remembered people making references to her art in her memory, she couldn't remember anything she made.

"We still have some of your glasswork displayed in the art room so we can go and look at them Maybe they'll help you remember something." Kyouya suggested and she nodded. They fell into comfortable conversation as he walked back. Though he would usually find the long walk tiring, he found it enjoyable with her talking even though it would've seemed mundane to anyone else.

To his surprise, he found himself disappointed when he saw his house coming closer. They had stopped talking for a while since Erika fell asleep on his back. He didn't want to wake her since he knew that she was tired from the excitement of the day but he also knew that he must've looked silly. He resigned himself to walking as straight as he could without disturbing her.

"Kyouya, is that you?" A voice stopped him as he was pulling his keys from his pocket. Sighing, Kyouya faked a smile and greeted Kasai. She seemed to have been waiting for him and he wondered why she would since it was almost the dawn. Her voice woke Erika as well and she quickly slid off his back. "I was wondering when you'll be back."

"It's the weekend and I don't teach tomorrow so I'm not being irresponsible. I might be a teacher but I don't live in that school, like students believe. But I don't believe that you should be loitering outside my house. If you really need to tell me something, you could've waited until tomorrow." Kyouya pointed out and Erika notice Kasai's slight blush.

"It's just that I never got your number and you didn't call me. I wanted to invite you to this class reunion I'm holding." Kasai held out an invitation to him. "I remember you asking about some of our old classmates so this might be a good opportunity to reconnect with them again. Everyone'll be there and we'll be able to talk more at the party."

"I'll think about it but I'm really busy so I don't know if I can make it." Kyouya said but took the card from her. His answer seemed to satisfy her for she smiled and returned to her home. Kyouya looked at the card, debating if he should go. While he didn't like reunions, it would be a good opportunity to ask their peers about Erika.

* * *

Kyouya watched Erika float from one corner of the room to another. They were in the art room and Erika couldn't take her eyes off the works displayed. Not all were hers but she looked at each with a deep appreciation. It was still early in the day so there were no students and he felt comfortable enough to act casual. "Do you remember which one is yours?"

"No but I think this mask is really elegant. Can you just imagine how difficult it must've been to attach those feathers? I wonder how they were able to blend the glue with the paint so well. It's really difficult to paint over glue." Erika commented.

"It looks like a pile of feathers to me." Kyouya rolled his eyes and she threw a glare at him. He laughed at her expression since it was so easy to provoke a reaction out of her. Her simple personality amused him. He stood next to her and looked over the artwork on display but couldn't feel the same excitement that was clearly reflected in her eyes. "They're pretty but I don't know why you're getting so excited."

"The technique and finesse isn't on the same level as professional and I doubt they'll appear in a museum." Erika agreed, surprising him. "But I can tell that these were work of passion, not just something they made for a grade. Can you just imagine the emotions the artist was trying to convey?"

"Teenagers do have an excess of emotions. I guess most people would say that art is a good way to channel it." Kyouya agreed. But he didn't have the expertise to comment any further. He knew enough about Erika to understand how much she loved art from the way her eyes sparkled. "You have the same expression whenever you eat."

"What?" Erika looked over her shoulder at him and he shrugged. She didn't know if he was complimenting her or teasing her. His small smile didn't give her a hint. Even after she looked over each artwork, she had to ask. "So which one did I make?"

"Even if you don't have your memories, you should be able to guess. There's only one artwork made entirely of glass." Kyouya pointed out and he pointed to a glass vase full of glass flowers. He brushed the dust off the nameplate and his heart tightened at the words. _In loving memory of, Erika Shinohara. May she continue to create art in heaven._

"Sanda insisted that we chose one of your pieces to display. She said you would've wanted you to leave something behind so people would remember you." Kyouya told her and Erika brushed her fingers over the glass petal. They were so delicate with only the slightest tint of colour. The vase was transparent but it reflected the colours of the flowers, revealing the details etched into the vase.

Erika laughed quietly to herself. "I understand why she would but she's wrong. Everyone thought I was a liar and leaving behind flowers won't change that fact. If I'm going to be remembered for that, I would rather not be remembered at all."

Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist and she knew that it was Kyouya. He rested his chin on her head so she couldn't see his face. "Did you know I helped Sanda pick which of your work to display? At first I didn't know why she asked me for help but looking through all of them, I understood. I used to spend my lunch watching you work on your glass."

Erika brows drew together as she tried to remember what he was referring to.

* * *

 _"Don't touch that!" Kyouya jumped when someone screamed at him. He looked over his shoulder to see Erika run into the room like a lioness. He saw that she saw holding a strange pipe and he held up his hand in surrender. She was flushed and her hair was a mess so he could only come to the conclusion that she went mad._

 _Erika stopped herself when she saw him and let out a relieved breath. He didn't know why she was the one relieved when she was the room that was attacking him. She put down the pipe and tried to straighten her hair that had become frizzy. "Sorry about that. I just thought that you were someone else. You see, someone has been shattering my glass."_

" _Shouldn't you tell a teacher rather than treating this art room like a war zone?" Kyouya tried to reason with her in a gentle tone. Usually, most girls would fall for his prince persona but she looked at him skeptically. "I just don't want you to get in trouble. How were you able to break in here, anyways?"_

" _Miss. Eiko, the student teacher for the art, department is actually my aunt. I told her that I wanted to use the art room to work on my project after class. She gave me the key," Erika explained. "Using the furnace turns this place into an oven so I have to work while there's no one here. That's why I always work during lunch or after class. So what brings you here?"_

" _Mrs. Chihuly said she left her folder and wanted me to get it for the school council meeting." Kyouya explained. Erika seemed to understand what he meant for she easily found the folder in her desk. He intended to leave when she handed it to her but he paused for a moment. He held out his napkin to her. "To dry your sweat. I don't know much about glass making but it must be difficult in this heat."_

" _It might be but I love it! How do I describe it?"_

 _Erika pondered out loud. Then she clapped her hands and her grinned. "It's like I'm a witch, breathing life into glass. Come, I'll show you."_

 _Kyouya couldn't bring himself to refuse when he saw her excitement. He followed her to her workstation and wondered how she could create something so delicate in the mess in front of her. There were trays full of different colours and Erika was quick to explain what they were. "That's molten sand and silicone. We put the colour blob at the end of this pipe and blow to create glass vessels."_

" _I don't see how that blob can turn into anything." Kyouya raised a brow and she grinned at him. Erika placed the blowpipe into the tray in the furnace she already prepared. He watched her roll the glass over her desk. She then blew into the pipe and the glass expanded. His eyes widened as she continued to blow until she was satisfied with the size of the bubble._

" _Now we need to shape it." She rolled it over a sheet of steel. Even while she talked to him, he could tell that she was focus on the glass that was slowly taking form. She curved the edges so that it became a vase. "It'll take a day to cool but if you come back tomorrow, you can see how it turns out."_

" _That's a lot of work for something as simple as a vase like the one you made." Kyouya watched her clean her station. She laughed and it sounded like light bells to him._

" _Making that was simple compared to other things I can make. Just wait!" Erika pulled out a box, hidden under her desk. On the padded surface, wrapped in felt, was a lily. "It was difficult to get the shape right and I had to test which thickness I like for the petals but it was worth it. I'm going to fill that vase with a dozen of these flowers!"_

" _It'll be difficult to make so many flowers." Kyouya took the flower from her. It was extremely detailed and the colour softly blended into each other._

" _But I'm determined to! I don't want to give up. You can't leave something you love half finished, can you?" She told him and Kyouya knew she had the determination and talent to. "There's an art contest I want to submit my flowers to and the deadline is in a couple weeks. But because someone has been breaking my glass, it'll be difficult to meet the deadline."_

" _If you're worried, I can help you. It won't be much but I can keep you company during lunch so no one will come in." Kyouya offered and he never saw her smile so brightly before. She took his hand and placed the key in his hand._

" _Thank you! It's always lonely making glass without anyone to talk to. So I'll meet you here at lunch tomorrow." He took the key from her, starting a short lived tradition._

* * *

"Kyouya, what are you doing in here? I wanted to talk to you but I couldn't find you in the staff room. Never thought that this would be where I found you." Kyouya turned to the door where Mr. Kitamura was watching him. "I never knew that you had an interest in art."

"I've been known to take time to appreciate art from time to time." Kyouya answered. Erika slipped out of his arms and continued to stare at the flowers while he spoke with Mr. Kitamura. "I spoke with Sanda recently and that got me thinking about Erika. I helped with the decision to display it."

"I remembered that you were adamant about it being these flowers."

"There were supposed to be a dozen flowers but she was only able to make ten before she died. She wanted to enter it in a contest so she worked so hard in it. Even if it was something so small, she put her heart into it. Sanda agreed when I said that a piece that showed her determination would be a better tribute to her memory than her other works. That was so long ago I almost forget about it."

"Erika seemed to be on your mind a lot more." Kyouya didn't know how why but Mr. Kitamura's voice sounded cold. "You were asking about her before as well. It's been years so I don't understand why you're suddenly looking into her past. Especially since you two were barely acquaintances. The police weren't able to find anything so maybe you should let her go."

"Maybe the people who pass by are closer to us than we first think. It just took me all this time to remember all those small moments and how they compacted. I just want to know what happened to her." Kyouya leveled his determined eyes with his. "So any information you can give will be appreciated."

"I don't think there's anything I can tell you. But I would advise you to let ghost stay buried."

* * *

"We should meet before the reunion start. Will Takeru's café be okay?" Kyouya asked Sanda over the phone. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Erika play with a dog that had wondered into the school yard. She seemed distracted with her own thoughts so didn't want to speak with Sanda in front of her.

"Kyouya, do you think we should tell Sanda about me?" Erika asked him when he ended his call. He knelt next to her but she didn't turn to face him, her focus on the puppy. "You and Takeru already know about me so I feel guilty that my best friend is the only one that doesn't know. She has been looking for me all this time so I think she deserves to know about me."

"I don't know how she'll react. The reason she continues to look for you is because she believes you're alive so it'll hurt her if she knows that you're a ghost now. We don't even know how Takeru and I are able to communicate with you." Kyouya pointed out, lifting the puppy out of her hands. "How do we prove it to her, anyways?"

"Lime, bark if you can hear me!" Erika ordered and the dog yelped. She grinned and scratched his ear. "I've been getting better at making people hear my voice. I really want to talk to San-chan on my own."

"Alright, I'll think about how we'll bring it later." Kyouya resigned himself. Erika cheered and celebrated by playing with the puppy's paws. "And what kind of name is Lime? Most uncreative people can at least come up with something like Inu."

"She looks like she's making a funny face. The same one people make when biting into a lemon." Erika explained. "She's pretty dirty. Do you think we should take her home and wash her up? Her owner must be worried about her."

"Firstly, your Lime is a boy. I don't think he has an owner. He's not wearing a collar and he's not neuter either. He's probably the pup of a stray." Kyouya observed. "We should take him to the pound on our way home. It'll be better for him there than out on the streets."

"If he doesn't have a family, how about we take him home with us?" Erika suggested. The dog barked in agreement and began to lick Kyouya's hands. "You had a dog before too so you already know how to take of one. We'll have to go to the pound and get him all his shots and then register him."

"I haven't even agreed yet and you're already making plans. Look, I had a dog once and I know that I can't have another one. They're troublesome and cause a giant mess. If we take him home, I'm going to be the one to take care of him." Kyouya told her firmly but that resolve faded when she pouted.

"Please? He's just a lost puppy. Aren't you?" Erika held up the puppy and rubbed her cheek against its fur. He wondered if she knew how persuasive her large brown eyes were as they pleaded with him.

"I need to rid myself of this habit of taking in stray dogs." Kyouya sighed and took the dog for her. "We'll adopt him if he has no owner."

"Yeah! I told you he was a nice guy, Lime."

* * *

 **Usually I update this before** _ **A Warm Hand**_ **but I was hype to post that chapter that this was pushed back a week. But I really like how this turned out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters**

* * *

Kyouya walked slowly and matched his steps with Erika's. She walked beside him but her focus wasn't on the sidewalk but the yearbook in his hands. She wanted to look at their high school yearbook but couldn't do so without causing people to panic over the sight of a floating book. So he was forced to hold it for her. "Are you done yet? You've been staring at this thing for a long time. My arm's gonna' fall off."

"I'm sorry…" Erika straightened and smiled apolitically up at him. Her eyes followed his year book as he placed it his bag again and ended on the ground. "This is going to be the first time I see my boyfriend again but I still can't remember a thing about him. Even if we only dated for a month, there must've been one special moment for me to remember."

"Don't force it or else you'll drive yourself crazy. One of us needs to stay sane here and since I'm talking to a ghost you… I can't say I like the thought of you being the only sane one between us. At this point, we're better off signing ourselves into a padded room and letting Lime take care of everything."

"Lime's such a smart dog that it'll be fine if we do leave everything to her. But she might not be the best teacher." Erika joked with a light laugh. Their light conversation made her more relaxed and she wondered if that was his intention. He was sarcastic with her sometimes but she felt as if he was becoming kinder. "But I can't be scared. This is my opportunity to find the truth."

Her bright smile shined and he couldn't stop himself from ruffling her hair since she looked like an eager puppy. Erika pouted up at him in reaction and tried to straighten her hair. Even though Kyouya was the only one that could see her, she wanted to look presentable. A part of her wanted to tell him to stop but another part of her felt reassured by the warmth of his hand.

Erika was surprised when Kyouya stopped in front of a car. He opened the passenger door and gestured for her to enter. Even though she was confused, she sat in the passenger seat and watched him slide into the driver's seat. As he started the car, she said, "I didn't know you had a car. You usually just take the train or bus if we're going anywhere."

"I don't use this car unless I have to travel somewhere far. The school and Takeru's café is close so it's better to walk than waste money on gas. The bar everyone's meeting at is further into town and we need to pick up Sanda and Takeru too." Kyouya explained. It was logical and she could understand his point of view. "Driving is too much trouble most of the time."

"That's true." Erika nodded as she looked out the window. She tried to lower the window but her finger merely passed through the button. Sighing, she leaned back against the chair. She thought the cool air would help her keep her mind off her emerging nerves. She closed her eyes against her fears but opened them when she felt a breeze brush her face.

"If you wanted the windows down, you should've told me." Kyouya told her and she didn't know how to answer him so she smiled sadly at him. When she first woke on Kyouya balcony, she had the sickening feeling that she was dead but her time with him made her forget that. Of course there were moments she was reminded that she was a ghost but she would rather not face them.

"Do you want something?" Kyouya's question brought her out of her thoughts. "We're going to stop at Takeru's café to pick him and Sanda up. I can call before we get there and ask him to make you something to eat. You really liked that parfait he made for you last time. Only you would like something overly sweet like that."

"It's okay. I'm not hungry," She told him and Kyouya chuckled slightly.

"I didn't think there would be a time I hear you say that." He teased her but honestly he liked that quality in her. She was honest and expressed what she wanted without reservation. It was different from other women he knew who would pretend to be someone else to confirm to social norms. Erika enjoyed life and he wondered what her life would be like if she was still alive.

He parked in front of Takeru's café and waited for their friends to come out. Kyouya sent Takeru a quick text before sitting back. From the corner of his eyes, he watched her and could read her expression easily. She always had an expressive face and wore her emotions on her sleeves. Even though she tried to be cheerful, he knew that she was worried about meeting her boyfriend.

Kyouya tried to remember Kimura and what kind of person he was but came up with nothing. They weren't in the class or had the same friends so he wondered what led them to dating. He couldn't see someone like Erika to date anyone unless they meant a lot to her. His stomach became noted and he wondered why thinking of her old boyfriend made him irritated.

"Kyouya?" Erika tried to catch his attention and waved her hand in front of his face. Without meaning to, he gave her an irritated scowl but she didn't seem to take offense to it as she pocked his forehead. "If you keep glaring like that you'll get wrinkles before you're thirty. Takeru and Sanda just came out so you should open the door for them. They might not know this is your car."

"You like to tell me what to do, don't you?" Still, Kyouya did as she said and stepped out of the car. He waved to them and opened the back door in gesture for them to sit in the back.

"Shotgun!" Takeru dived to claim the passenger seat but Kyouya stopped him by grabbing his collar. "What? I always sit shotgun."

"Erika's sitting there, idiot. Couldn't you take the hint when I told you to sit in the back?" Kyouya whispered so Sanda wouldn't overhear them. While Takeru knew about Erika, and could vaguely hear her voice, Sanda couldn't. Takeru paled and apologized while Kyouya could only sigh. His friend only had good intention but foresight wasn't something he had.

"Sanda let's sit in the back!" Takeru was quick to bounce back and helped Sanda into the car like a gentleman. Erika watched them with a smile and she wanted to thank Kyouya for thinking of her. But she still felt a little guilty for not telling San-chan, her best friend, the truth. Sanda was a very logical person so she didn't know how she would react knowing that she was a ghost.

Kyouya started to drive and the conversation quickly shifted to the reunion. They intended to ask for any information about Erika to find out what happened to her. So they invited Takeru to help them under the guise that he was Sanda's date. He hoped, for Erika's sake, that they could find out what happened to her and what people said wouldn't be hurtful.

With the rumours that surrounded Erika, it was a possibility. The times he did speak with her dispelled the rumours but he didn't know if others spoke with her like he did. So far, it seemed like the only other students she spoke with were Sanda and Kimura. Hopefully, Kimura knew more about Erika's disappearance than Sanda did.

"What kind of person was Kyouya in high school?" Takeru asked during the drive. He looked to Sanda for an answer but she didn't give one. Instead, she looked serious as she thought back to that time. Kyouya knew that she was only trying to think of answer but couldn't because they never spoke much.

"We never spoke in high school but he was fairly popular. People spoke highly of him and he was respectable during our student council meeting. He's your friend so I think you would be able to answer that question better than me." Sanda shrugged. Takeru looked a little disappointed with the answer and Kyouya wondered what kind of answer he was expecting.

"That's too bad. I was hoping that there was at least one person at your school that knew the real him. Kyouya and I have been friends since we could toddle and he couldn't go a day without pissing someone off and getting into a fight. We went to different high schools and I was worried that he wouldn't have anyone there to defend him. So I followed him to school one day."

"He was popular so you didn't need to worry." Sanda told him.

"I was right to worry! I snuck in and saw Kyouya making the scariest smile ever!" Takeru insisted and Kyouya rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatic story. "I never saw such a fake smile in my life. He told me his plan to pretend to be this great prince like guy but I knew it wouldn't work. If he had to pretend to be someone else, he'll have all this rage built up and I'll have to deal with that!"

"That's what you were worried about?" Kyouya glared at Takeru in the mirror. It didn't help when Erika began to laugh. He felt himself blush as Takeru told them about all the fights he got into as a kid. Anyone who only met him after he went to high school would've never known that side to him. Sanda was speechless while Erika peppered him with questions and laughed at his stories.

"I can get why you were worried though. I remember all the times I would see girls surround him. After they left he always had this really annoyed expression. He didn't think anyone was watching him and I'm sure that if he did know he would've faked a smile or something." Erika said once she stopped laughing.

Kyouya was surprised by her comment. They never talked much aside from the handfuls of conversations they had but she knew him much more than the classmates that constantly tried to get to know him better. They were passing strangers most of the times and he wondered if they would've been friends if one of them had stopped to speak to the other.

If that happened, she might still be alive. Even though none of them knew what happened that night she disappeared, he couldn't help but think it would've been different. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Erika's expressive face as she spoke with Takeru. Despite the situation she was in, she still had the strength to smile and thought that it was a shame she was a ghost.

* * *

"Stay close to me. It'll be a headache to find you in this crowd." Kyouya instructed Erika as they made their way through the bar that the reunion was being held in. It was more crowded than they expected it would be so they decided to find information individually. "Do you see anyone you recognize yet?"

"I don't know." Erika scanned the crowd. While she recognized the students from Kyouya's yearbook, none of them sparked her memory. Everyone was greeting each other with warm nostalgia but she felt lost among their conversation.

How could they possible find anyone who remembered her among the crowd? It seemed like Kimura was their only hope but she couldn't explain the dread she felt at the prospect. Suddenly, she felt Kyouya take her hand and pull her forward. "Stop spacing out. You're no help to anyone if you start thinking about stuff like that. There must be one person here that can give us answers."

Erika wondered if he was able to read her thoughts. She nodded to him and he grinned at how quickly she was able to be positive. He would attribute that to her simple nature. In the past, he would've thought women like her were troublesome but he found Erika refreshing.

"Kyouya, is that you?" Several women noticed him and ran to him. They surrounded him and he tried to think of a way to escape. Usually, he wouldn't attend events to avoid situations like the one he was in now. He tried to smile politely even as he was thinking of a way to escape without being rude. He needed to find Kimura before the reunion ended.

They peppered him with questions and he looked apologetically at Erika. She looked conflicted as well since she knew that he couldn't dismiss them rudely. He thought of asking them about Erika but he didn't know how to bring up her death naturally. So he could only answer the questions they asked him. "I'm a teacher now."

"Which school do you teach at? I would love to visit you sometimes. I can even bring you lunch," One of the women offer and the rest were quick to nod in agreement.

 _Please don't_ , Kyouya groaned to himself but answered: "I teach at the high school we went to actually."

"Really? I wouldn't be able to work there after everything that happened there. But someone like you wouldn't be scared of a ghost, would you Kyouya? I remember how brave you were during the test of courage." One of them said and he knew that she was only projecting a false memory onto him. He didn't even participate in the test of courage. At least she gave him the opportunity to speak about Erika.

"I remember that she was in our class. Her name was Erika. Do you know what happened to her? The police said they don't know anything but I think there should be someone who knows." Kyouya prompted but the only answers they gave were outrageous.

"You never know with a girl like that. She was so dramatic about everything. I think I heard that she threw herself into the furnace. That's why she was always in the art room." One said.

"She did glasswork. That's why she was always in the art room." Kyouya corrected and they all looked genuinely surprised. How could they speak of Erika so easily when it was clear they didn't know her?

"I heard that she was so desperate for a boyfriend that she met someone online. When she went to meet him, she was kidnapped!" Someone else said.

"As if she would be so desperate to date a near stranger." Kyouya refuted. "She might've wanted to fit in but that hopeless romantic wouldn't have dated just anyone. Anyways, she already had a boyfriend. During our last year, she was with Kimura. Keep your silly gossip to yourself from now on."

They all started to whisper and Kyouya sighed to himself. He would never raise his voice in the past but he couldn't stop himself when he heard their outrageous stories. He expected rumours but he didn't know how any of them could believe that Erika would do anything they suggested. It was clear to him that talking to them wouldn't give them any answers.

"I'm sorry but I need to go." Kyouya took Erika's hand and pulled her away. He looked back to her and saw her eyes swarming with pain. So he pulled her into an uncrowded corner of the bar and encircled her in his arms. He kept his back to the crowd so they wouldn't see what he was doing. "Don't listen to what they said. We'll find out what happened to you and I promise you it won't be any of that."

"Thank you Kyouya," Erika wrapped her arms around him in return and clutched his shirt. She didn't know a single person but their words hurt her. There was something familiar in their cruel words and she remembered the rumours that followed her. Unlike then, she had Kyouya to defend her now and she was grateful. He was doing so much for her now even though they were just passing strangers before.

"Man, you're a handful." Kyouya chuckled and she finally turned her face up to his. He felt someone bump into him from behind and Kyouya caught himself on the wall so he wouldn't crush Erika. He turned to glare at the man that bumped into him and was surprised to see Kimura.

"Sorry." Was all Kimura said before he started to leave.

"Wait," Kyouya quickly stopped him. "There's something I want to ask you. It's a private issue so maybe it would be better to talk outside."

* * *

"Erika? She seems like a popular conversation topic today but I don't know why. It's a little morbid to talk about her at a reunion." Kimura mused and Kyouya wondered if Sanda already spoken to him. She and Takeru would've told him if they did. He would ask them what they found later but there were some questions he wanted to ask himself.

"I want to find what happened to her. Did you notice anything while you two were together? I don't think that she would disappear like she did. You were dating her so you should know something." Kyouya insisted. He felt Erika lean towards him and he looked down at her to see her reaction.

"We only dated for a week so I don't what you expect from. First the police, then the reportor and now you are hounding me with questions even though it's been years. You didn't seem to care about her in high school so why are you asking me all this now?"

"I care now and so should you. She was your girlfriend." Kimura dismissive tone irritated Kyouya to no end but tried to keep himself from letting that show. Erika had been quiet the entire time as she stood next to him and he wondered if she remembered anything about Kimura.

"She was my girlfriend but I didn't really care about her. We barely even dated." Kimura rolled his eyes. Kyouya felt Erika's hands tighten around his arm. "I can't stand girls like her. Sure she had a pretty face but she was so desperate for attention that she made up all those lies. Girls like her are superficial. We barely knew each other but when I asked her out, she actually accepted. And-"

"That's enough!" Kyouya screamed and grabbed Kimura's collar. He couldn't stand hearing anyone insult Erika and it only made him angrier that Kimura looked so disinterested. Erika quickly wrapped her arms around Kyouya in an attempt to stop him. Even though she was reeling from Kimura's words she didn't want Kyouya to get into trouble. "Why did you even ask her out if you didn't like her?"

"The only reason I asked her out was because my friend paid me to."

"What?" Kyouya felt his control over his anger snap. He felt Erika's warmth shake and falter around him. He raised his hand fist to punch Kimura but someone grabbed his wrist. He turned his glare on the person but the person only smiled apologetically before pushing more space between him and Kyouya.

"Sorry boys but this is no place for a fight. How about we have a civilized conversation?" The stranger asked. Though his tone was cheerful, he also had a dangerous glint in his gilded eyes. There was something familiar about him but Kyouya couldn't place where he seen the man before. "So what is this about?"

"You've been following me, haven't you?" Kimura accused. "I already told you I don't know anything about Erika and what happened to her earlier. This is pointless so I'm leaving."

"That guy never did have the best temperament, right Kyouya?" The man laughed at Kimura's retreating back. He finally turned back to Kyouya. "Long time no see. I'm glad that decided to follow him since I got to hear that very interesting conversation. How about we have our own talk? We might be able to help each other."

"Who are you?" Kyouya asked and the man staggered for a moment, looking hurt slightly.

"Wait, you really don't remember me? And after I tried to have such a cool entrance! Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We only talked once and we were in different classes. My name's Nozomi Kamiya." Nozomi held out a business card to Kyouya. "I'm a reporter now and I wanted to write an article about Erika's disappearance. It seems like you want to know what happened too."

"Have you found any clues?" Kyouya asked. He looked to Erika to see her reaction but she wasn't beside him anymore. He scanned the alley but he couldn't find her. Usually, she wouldn't stray too far from his side. "Erika?"

* * *

 **I know I haven't updated in a while but I really do love OSTKO so I want to finish this. Nozomi is my fav side character of all time and I couldn't wait to make him a part of the story. I had to wait because I didn't want to introduce him right away.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji or any of the characters**

* * *

"Erika?" Kyouya called her name and began to panic more when she didn't answer him. Panic seized him and Kyouya looked around the alley frantically for her. His action probably confused Nozomi but Kyouya was focused on finding Erika. Where was she? Why did she suddenly disappear? More questions rushed through his mind but he knew he had to find her.

"I'll talk to you later, Nozomi but I need to check on something first." Kyouya told him over his shoulder before rushing out of the alley. He tried to think of where she could be or where her ghost would appear. He didn't bother to call Takeru or Sanda to tell them where he was going because his focus was entirely on finding Erika.

Kyouya ran into his car and pulled out of the parking lot. He didn't understand why fear gripped him but he instinctively knew that Erika needed him. So, he drove as quickly as he could to find her. There were several places he could think of going. There was the art room in the school, her bedroom or the place she was murdered. But if she wasn't by his side, only one other place she would be stood out in his mind.

Kyouya rushed home. He barely remembered the drive home or what happened. He was barely able to process any thoughts until he was in front of his door, fumbling with his keys. Once he was inside, he rushed up the stairs to his room. He called her name but she never answered him. Despite that, something in his heart told him that she was there.

He threw open the door to his balcony and there she was. Erika was standing on the ledge of his balcony with a seemingly blank expression. Kyouya wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the rails. Still, her eyes didn't focus on anything when he turned her to face him. His mind was racing too fast to string a sentence together and he could only hold her for a while.

"What was that? You scared the hell out of me!" Kyouya was finally able to compose himself. He could feel her heart beat rapidly and knew that his heart was beating just as fast. But he was relieved to have her in his arms again and he didn't fully understand. The only thing he knew was the need to keep her in his arms so he buried his face in her hair to assure himself that she was there.

"Don't you ever do that again. Why did he even disappear like that?" He finally leaned away from her to ask her. But she kept her face pressed to his chest and wouldn't look up at him. Kyouya knew that his voice was rough but he couldn't stop himself because he was so worried. "Stop being so quiet and tell me what happened! I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"What's the point?" Erika finally looked up at him and he could see the tears swimming in her eyes. The sight broke his heart and he reached up to wipe them away. He didn't know if it was the cold night or something else but her tears were warm to him. Could a ghost have warm tears? Before he could ask any more questions, Erika vigorously rubbed the tears away.

"Kimura was the last chance we had to find out what happened to me and he knows _nothing_. He didn't even like me or wanted to date me. It has been weeks and we're no closer to finding the truth. What if we learn that everything those people say about me is true? I don't want to find out the truth if I'm just going to be hurt by what I learn."

"Who gives a damn about Kimura or if the truth hurts!" Kyouya scream shocked her. "That guy was an asshole and he won't help us get any closer to finding what happened to you. So, move on and forget about him. Right now, we need to find the truth because you're hurting now and it won't stop until you find closure. It hurts right now but you'll feel better afterwards."

"Why do you still want to help me after all the trouble I put you through? Even you said that I'm troublesome and I had to threaten to haunt you to get you to help." Erika accused. She was frustrated with herself and her situation but she found herself taking it out on Kyouya instead. He was trying to be kind to her in his own rough way but she wanted to be alone at the moment.

"Because I don't think the truth will hurt you as much as you think. You wanted to know who you are before you died and, if you're anything like you are now, I'm sure you were a good person. You're troublesome and persistent but trusting and kind. Sanda will say the same too. And I want to know what happened to you and why."

"I'm just so scared." Erika lowered her head again. "I'm not strong or brave like you."

"How brave can a school teacher be?" Kyouya laughed. She looked doubtful but he was certain he couldn't be in her situation without going crazy. He had always been a passive person and was sure that he wouldn't have taken the initiative to help her if she hadn't insisted. In fact, he thought she was much braver than she gave herself credit for.

"Hopefully you're brave enough for me to ask you to give me some of your bravery?" Erika asked and he nodded. He placed a gentle hand on her hair and nodded. "Thank you, Kyouya."

* * *

"Who do you think did it?" Erika asked Kyouya as they watched the old black and white movie. After the emotionally taxing meeting with Kimura, she wanted to relax. Kyouya was being surprisingly kind to her and allowed her to choose a movie to watch. But she could tell that he was regretting his action because boredom was visible on his face.

"Who cares? The tutor obviously did it but it really doesn't matter who gets arrested for the murder. I don't like any of these characters and I want to see them all in jail for wasting my time." Kyouya sighed but Erika continued to watch the movie. Her expression was constantly changing with every new scene and he had to ask, "Do you like these Sherlock Holmes type movies?"

"Did I?" Erika tilted her head to the side and sighed. She knew that she liked art and glass making but there was still a lot she needed to rediscover about herself. While she did enjoy the movie they were watching, she instinctively knew that it wasn't her favourite. So, she stood and went to look over the collection of movies he has.

"I think I'd like these kinds of movie. How about we watch this one afterwards?" Erika pulled out the first movie that sparked her interest. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes when he saw the cover. It was of a couple embracing each other and he could already know he'd hate the romantic movie. While he thought that she was different from other girls, he wasn't surprised that she liked romance movies.

Kyouya knew that she probably enjoyed romantic movies because of her personality rather to fit in.

"You sure have a lot of movies here. Which one's your favourite?" She asked him and was shocked by his answer.

"I wouldn't know. I never watched any of them. Those are movies my parents bought for themselves. My relatives gave me a few but I never bothered to watch them." He told her and she had to stop herself from asking him more questions. From his expression, she knew that he probably had his reasons and might not want to tell her.

"Don't look so sad. It's not like I watched a movie that scarred me for life or something. I don't have some tragic reason for not watching them. I just never had anyone to watch movies with. My parents were always working and Takeru doesn't live close enough to just invite him over any time I wanted to." Kyouya shrugged.

"I think the fact that you say it like it's nothing is really sad." Even though he didn't seem to think much of his lonely childhood, Erika gave him a pitying look. Erika went to sit next to him on the couch again. She had a stake of DVDs in her arms and dumped onto his lap. "But you have me now and we can watch them together. Just choose one to watch after my romance movie."

Kyouya had to re-evaluate his life and how he came to the point that he was becoming friends with a ghost. Erika adjusted her posture so she could sit more comfortably next to him and they finished watching the romance movie together. Kyouya found his mind drifting off because the movie was much too predictable for his taste.

"It's my turn, now." Kyouya sighed with relief once the movie was over. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that she barely heard him since she was still engrossed in her movie. She was wiping away tears and he didn't know if he should tease her or not. He was tempted because her reactions were always funny. "Why are you crying? It wasn't that sad."

"But he waited for her all those years and… it's just so tragic!" Erika insisted and puffed her cheeks. He had to laughed since she looked silly with her puffy yet determined eyes.

"Only a someone like you would cry over a story like that. At least my movie won't put people to sleep. I know the actor in it is pretty popular so at least the acting will be decent." Kyouya put the DVD into the machine and clicked play. The movie was set in the feudal era and was about a lowly samurai tasked to guard a princess. Surprisingly, Kyouya felt nostalgic when he watched it.

* * *

 _"That movie was great!" Erika said excitedly to Sanda. They walked out of the dark movie theater and Sanda cringed at the bright sun but Erika didn't. She was still engrossed in the movie and lost within her own thoughts. "I wanna watch it again soon."_

" _You watched that movie three times. And that's not even including this time. You do know that you can't waste money on this like this, don't you?" Sanda scolded her but Erika didn't seem to internalize the lesson as she went on about the movie._

" _Can you believe how awesome the princess was when she used her sword?" Erika picked up a stick from the ground and began to act out the scene. "I want to find a guy like the samurai!"_

" _I don't think guys like that exist in the real world. Isn't it better to be more realistic with your expectations?" Sanda once again tried to make Erika see logic. The samurai was cold to other but mean to his princess and the description made her think of Kyouya. They barely talked but she liked to think that she knew him a little bit. She remembered every moment they shared together._

" _I was so excited when my mom told me that it was going to re-released in theaters. It's just as good I remember it and I want to watch that movie again tomorrow! Will you watch it with me again?"_

" _Okay, I'm going to stop you before you make yourself bankrupt!" Sanda said sternly and Erika pouted. Sanda took Erika's hand and dragged her friend into the shopping district. They went to video store she worked in. "If you're going to watch it so much, buy a DVD of it so you have to pay the theater so much money. You get a discount because you work here too."_

" _Thank you. You're so smart, San-chan!" Erika thanked her friend and hugged her. She quickly dashed into the store and greeted her boss at the counter. "Sir! I have the biggest request of you. Do you have a DVD copy of that movie that just came out? It's called 'The Princess Betrothed'. Please tell me we have it and I can buy it."_

" _You really want that movie, don't you?" Her boss laughed. It was a miracle that he could understand her request since she was speaking a mile a minute. "We got a shipment of the limited edition copy of the movie. There's still one left that you can buy."_

" _Thank you!" Erika made sure to thank him before going to find she movie. She ran to the shelf and found the movie. There was only one copy left and she went to make her purchase. She was glad that Sanda thought of the idea before the movie was sold out. It would take a while for the store to get another shipment of the movie._

 _Sanda had to go to work so Erika walked home by herself. As she walked, she passed the theater again. Someone was stepping outside but she didn't notice them because she was staring lovingly at the DVD in her hands. They collided and she accidentally dropped the DVD. She began to panic but luckily the person caught the case before it hit the ground._

" _I'm sorry," Erika thanked him and was shocked to see that it was Kyouya. "Thank you for saving my DVD. I just bought this and I would've had a heart attack if I broke it already."_

" _It's okay. I really didn't do anything," Kyouya shrugged. He started to walk away but Erika wanted to thank him. She followed him and called out his name. She had to wonder why he was in a bad mood because his shoulder dropped and he looked irritated when he turned to her. But he covered it with a princely smile. "Is there something you need?"_

" _Actually, I wanted to ask you that." Erika felt nervous to approach him. They only spoke a handful of times and she didn't know what he thought of her. But she would like to know him better. "If you need anything, just tell me."_

" _Kyouya!" Someone screamed and ran towards them. Erika didn't recognize the boy but he seemed to be friends with Kyouya. He stopped in front of them and pointed an accusatory finger at Kyouya. "I thought I told you to wait for me! We were supposed to have a party to celebrate your birthday."_

" _It's your birthday?" Erika asked and he nodded. She didn't understand why he would look so upset on his birthday. He turned away from her when the boy became more insistent. They spoke and she wondered if she should do something for his birthday. They were only acquaintances so she didn't know if he would want her invading his space._

" _C'mon Kyouya, I don't want you to spend your birthday alone." The boy insisted which caught Erika's attention. Kyouya rolled his eyes._

" _Don't you need to help out at your family's café or something? I know you. Anyways, I'm used to being alone on my birthday and it really doesn't bother me." Kyouya shrugged. When she heard his words, she forced herself to step forward and held out the DVD to him._

" _Happy Birthday!" Erika forced the DVD case into his hands as he stared at her in confusion. She stepped back before he could hand it back to her. "Please take it. I know that it's not much of a present but I promise that I'll get you a better present soon! Just wait for it. We're neighbours so I'll come over and give your present. Keep the DVD for now."_

 _Erika ran off before he could react and he found himself staring at her retreating form._

* * *

A knock brought Kyouya out of his memory. He realized that he had fallen asleep while he was watching the movie and rubbed his eyes. Erika was watching the movie intently and didn't seem to realize that he had fallen asleep or that someone was knocking on the door. He paused the movie and went to answer the door. "Wait, it getting to the best part!"

Kyouya looked over his shoulder and laughed to see Erika frantically trying to press the play button. He answered the door and Nozomi was standing in his doorway. He remembered their encounter at the reunion and that he was investigating Erika's murder. But Kyouya had to wonder how Nozomi found where he lived.

"We never got to exchange information before you rushed off. I still think that we could help each other find out what happened to Erika so I tracked you down." Nozomi said casually and Kyouya wondered if he knew how he came across. He walked into Kyouya's house as if he was invited and walked into the living room. He placed his bag on the table and pulled out several files.

"How did you find my address?" Kyouya had to ask and Nozomi answered nonchalantly.

"I asked around. There was this guy at the reunion that was asking about Erika. I guessed that you two knew each other since you guys were the only ones that brought Erika up in a conversation. Almost like two detective friends. Is there room for it to become a trio of detectives?" Nozomi asked and Kyouya tried to remember if he had such an eccentric personality.

"Who's this?" Erika asked Kyouya and he didn't know how to answer her without making Nozomi question his sanity. So, he shrugged and mouthed an answer to her.

'Someone that can help.' That answer seemed to be enough for her since she moved to stand beside the table. She was surprised at the amount of information he had about her disappearance. He had everything from articles to police files.

"How did you get all of this?" Kyouya asked as he picked up a police file.

"I dated a girl who worked with the detective in charge of the investigation. I convinced her to do me a little favour and get me this." Nozomi told him and winked. Erika started to read them but Kyouya stopped her by closing the folder. They didn't know what happened to her and he wanted to soften the truth if it turned out to be too dark for her.

"So, what do you have so far? We should see what information we have between us and try to piece together what happened to Erika. It's hard to find someone that can give me information on her. Even the police barely gave me any information on her. We just don't know anyone in her life that would have a motive to kill her so I'm thinking she ran away."

"She wouldn't do something that would worry her family or friends like that." Kyouya sat across from Nozomi. "But I want to know something first. Why are you looking into her disappearance? You seemed to have been looking for a long time to gather this amount of information. I want to find what happened to a friend so why do you want to find her."

"Well, it would make a great article." Nozomi answered and Kyouya clenched his fists. Nozomi saw Kyouya's expression change and became more serious. "But I want to find what happened to her too."

"Leave!" Kyouya stood and slammed his hands on the table. The files shook and fell out of the folders. While Erika tried to organize them, Kyouya kept his glare on Nozomi. "Erika's a person, not someone you can use to forward your career. I'll find out what happened to her by myself but I'm not going to let you make money off her story."

"You really care about her, don't you? I didn't think you were that close to her in highschool." Nozomi commented and Kyouya couldn't say that he was wrong. The time he spent with Erika changed how he saw her and he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened to her if they had talked back then. Would she still be alive today?

"Whose phone number is this?" Erika's voice brought him out of his thoughts. She was looking through the files and came across her phone records. The week before she disappeared, she had received calls from a number at least five times everyday. She tried to remember the number but she couldn't and she frantically tried to look through the rest of the files but her hands passed through the paper.

"Erika," Kyouya whispered and discreetly placed a hand on her leg. Feeling the warmth of his hand, she felt her body relaxed. Even though he didn't want to Nozomi to make a spectacle out of Erika and her disappearance, he also needed the information he had. So, he turned to Nozomi and said in a stronger voice. "I'll work with you but I want you to respect her privacy and memory."

"It's an honour to be a part of your detective team. I'm sure that we'll find the truth." Nozomi grinned and eagerly shook her hand.

* * *

 **Man, I haven't edited in so long but I really wanted to update all my fanfics once this week before I go back to school. Nozomi is my fav side character (not only in OSTKO but of all shoujo) but he did start out as a pseudo-antagonist and I want to add that to his character in the fanfic.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji or any of the characters**

* * *

"So, you two weren't dating?" Nozomi asked and Kyouya sighed since it was the fourth time he asked the question. Kyouya was wondering if the information Nozomi could provide was worth hearing his inane questions. While Nozomi's smile was casual, his eyes were sharp with a subtle intelligence and Kyouya felt as if Nozomi could see through him.

While Nozomi continued to ask him questions, Kyouya looked through the evidence Nozomi brought from his office. They were laid out over his living room floor and Kyouya hoped that he could find some hint of what happened to Erika in the mountain of articles he brought. Unfortunately, Nozomi interrupted his thoughts by asking, "What kind of relationship did you have with her then?"

"… It's complicated." Kyouya knew that he couldn't tell Nozomi the truth. No doubt, he would write an article about how he could talk to a ghost or how he was crazy. But he also knew that Nozomi would continue to ask him until he gave him a satisfying answer. "We didn't talk much back then but it's natural to want to find out what happened to someone, isn't it?"

"Not particularly," Nozomi said with a shrug. He watched Kyouya carefully and studied him. He had a talent for seeing a person's true nature. The Kyouya he knew in high school wouldn't involve himself in other people's lives unless he had a personal attachment. Even when he was dating a girl, he was distant. Why was someone like him be searching for Erika so intently?

Kyouya's phone buzzed and he saw that it was a text from Sanda. "Erika's friend is going to be here soon. She's going to bring some information her private investigator found too. Hopefully, we'll find something new if we combine everything we have together."

"If we're going to add a bunch more information, I think it's better if we start from scratch. Do you have something we can pin things to?" Nozomi asked as he began to gather the documents. He raised a brow when he tried to pick up an article and it refused to move, as if someone was holding onto it.

"Let me read that," Kyouya took the article from him. He held it in front of him but his eyes weren't on the paper. Throughout the afternoon, Nozomi found some of his behaviour as strange. But Nozomi doubted Kyouya would answer any of his questions if he asked since he refused to answer a simple question like his relationship to Erika.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to make him think I'm crazy or this house is haunted?" Kyouya whispered harshly to Erika sitting beside him. She didn't answer him and narrowed her eyes at the article instead. They all reported on her disappearance but gave conflicting conclusions. She wondered which one was try and if she would ever truly know.

Though she asked Kyouya to help her, they didn't make much progress to discovering the truth. They spoke to several people and tried to find what happened to her, they only ended with more questions than answers. "Is this everything? Can you ask Nozomi about this number I saw in the police report?"

Kyouya sighed but did as she asked. "Hey, Nozomi, can you hand me the phone records in the police report? I want to check that number that kept calling her before she disappeared."

"Don't bother, the call came from a burner phone so they couldn't find it. It's a dead end so we shouldn't waste our time with it." Nozomi explained and Kyouya's brows furrowed. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Erika who had a similar expression. He knew that it would be pointless to ask about the calls since she didn't have her memories.

The same thought was racing through Erika's mind. She tried to open Nozomi's folder to see the record again but her hand merely passed through the paper. Every time she thought she would getter closer to the truth, it slipped through her fingers. Kyouya's hand closed over hers but passed through it to open the folder for her. His warmth was reassuring and ebbed her frustration slightly.

"Thanks, Kyouya." She smiled at him and he didn't know how she could find the strength to do so. He knew that he wouldn't be able to read about his own disappearance if he was in her situation. Even after her hope was shattered by Kimura, she was able to move forward. "Maybe Sanda will recognize this number so we should ask her if I told her about someone calling me a lot."

Kyouya nodded to her but spoke to Nozomi so he wouldn't become suspicious. "I have a pin board that we can use. It's in my room so I'll bring it down. If Takeru and Sanda comes, just open the door to them."

"I'll help!" Erika jumped to her feet and followed him. They both knew that there was little she could do to help but neither commented on the fact. Honestly, Erika didn't want to be apart from Kyouya. She didn't know if it was because she was dependent on him or if it was for another reason. Kyouya seemed to understand her feelings since he nodded to her.

He walked into his room and began to clear off his pin board. Most people would fill their pin boards with personal pictures or memories but Kyouya's was filled with lesson plans. Knowing Kyouya's personality, she was surprised that he was a teacher but she could see how much he cared about his job and students. "We should put these somewhere safe while we're using the board."

"We can just put them on my desk." Kyouya told her and she began to take remove the pins and papers from the board. She had to concentrate so her fingers wouldn't pass through the pins or drop them. Erika carefully piled the documents on his desk and place the pin into a small box. Kyouya saw her frustration and said, "Don't strain yourself. They're not that important where I'm worried about losing them."

"But you worked hard on them. And I really want to pay you back since you've helped me so much." Erika insisted when she placed the last piece of paper onto his desk. Her honest brown eyes touched him and he had to turn away from her. Not for the first time, he wondered why a person would want to hurt someone like Erika.

Kyouya took the pin board off his wall and carried it downstairs. It wasn't that large or heavy but Erika felt a little guilty. He was doing so much for her. She wondered if he would've helped her as he was doing now if she hadn't threatened to haunt him. Erika wanted to think that he would but another part of her knew that it wasn't true.

When he walked into the living room, he found that Takeru and Sanda had arrived while he was in his bedroom. Takeru and Nozomi were speaking excitedly with each other and Kyouya wondered when they had been acquainted since they spoke like close friends. Kyouya knocked on the wall to catch their attention. "I see you've made yourselves at home."

"You're finally back, Kyouya! I hope you didn't mind that I made tea for everyone. Also, you're out of milk." Takeru commented with a wide grin and Kyouya rubbed his temple. He held out a plate of cookies as a peace offering. "Take one. I made them this morning."

"Is this one from your father's recipe book or is this another one of your experiments?" Kyouya took a cookie as he asked the question. Takeru didn't mind the edge in his voice since he knew that Kyouya wasn't truly angry at him. After he took a bite, he said: "Well, I'm alive so I'm guessing your dad made these. Thanks, you didn't need to bring these."

"I thought everyone would want something sweet to eat while we're working this out." Takeru knew that it would be difficult and awkward to talk about Erika's death when they were mostly strangers. It would be simpler to solve the mystery if they were able to cooperate so he tried to keep the atmosphere light. "I brought enough for everyone so dig in!"

"Thanks, Takeru, but I really want to get started on this meeting so we can find out what happened to Erika faster. I know she's out there somewhere and I want to return her home as fast as possible." Sanda told them with hard eyes. It was plain to see the determination in her eyes. "I brought what my private investigator could find but it's not much."

"I have access to her school records but I don't know if I can get them off school property. But I have notes I made of them." Kyouya offered and took out a notebook.

"You guys never tried to solve a mystery before, haven't you? The information you guys brought are great and it'll help us but there's a process to these things." Nozomi said as he set up the board. "We need to find how they connect. And the best way to approach this is to think of who would want to see her gone and why. Her case isn't a part of a serial murder so this must be more personal."

"Erika didn't have any enemies. There were people who didn't like her and bullied her but I don't believe they would go as far as something like this." Sanda pointed out and Kyouya had to agree. He turned to where Erika was playing with Lime and hoped she would be too distracted to hear their conversation. He didn't want it to upset her. Despite her strong smile, she could only stay optimistic for so long.

"I guess we can only try to work out a timeline of what happened before she died for now. But we should highlight anyone who can have a motive." Nozomi began to pin several articles onto the board. Kyouya looked through the folder Nozomi brought and handed Sanda the phone record.

"Do you recognize this number? It called her a lot before she disappeared so it might be connected somehow. Did Erika ever tell you about someone calling her or something like that?" Kyouya asked and Sanda's eyes furrowed as she thought back. Unfortunately, she shook her head.

"Why wouldn't she tell me? She would always tell me if something happened to her at school so why wouldn't she tell me about these phone calls?" Sanda bit her lip. She couldn't help but wonder if Erika would still be alive if she had told her if someone was bothering her. "I don't think a high schooler would go through the trouble of getting a burner phone just to harass her further."

"This number," Erika stood in front of the board and touched the highlighted number. It looked so familiar and it gave her the sense of dread.

* * *

 _Kyouya's breath caused a white fog as he walked out onto his balcony. It was surprisingly cold for May but he wanted some fresh air before he would be forced to attend a family dinner. He didn't understand why his parents were forcing him to attend when the event was pointless and a ritual at best._

" _I already promised I wouldn't tell anyone so please stop calling me like this. My parents will start to ask questions." Kyouya heard Erika's voice and he realized that she was also on her balcony. Her back was to him so she didn't notice him. He was about to leave and give her privacy but something about her stiff shoulders stopped him. The call was obviously upsetting her._

" _Are you okay?" Kyouya asked when she ended her call. Erika turned sharply and her wide eyes began to dart around him. It was obvious to him that she was worried that he heard her conversation. She almost looked like a lost puppy so he took pity on her. "You look a little cold. You shouldn't come out in this weather without something like a jacket."_

" _I thought the call wouldn't be that long. Anyways, I like the cold." She told him and he tried to keep his thoughts from appearing on his face. She was a dreadful liar and he could see through her. "How long have you been out here? Did you hear anything?"_

" _I just came out so I didn't hear your conversation." He answered her and she looked visibly relieved. He wanted to ask her about the phone call but he didn't know if he could. They were neighbours and spoke occasionally but he didn't know her well enough to intervene with her personal life. "I just came out for some fresh air but it's too cold to stay out here for long. You should get back inside too."_

" _Alright." Erika said but she didn't turn or move. Kyouya didn't either and they stood in an awkward silence. She was the first the break the silence with a nervous voice. "Kyouya, if you knew about something that was wrong, would you tell people about it?"_

" _Depends on what it is." Kyouya shrugged but that was obviously not the answer she was looking for as she sighed heavily. He wondered if it was about the people that were bullying her and if he should involve himself in her problems. "Is something wrong Erika? Is it about the person that called you?"_

" _I don't know if I should tell anyone about this. I was thinking about telling Sanda but I know she would want to go to authorities but I think that might be a little too much. She says that they're in love so I don't want to do anything to ruin it. He might even lose his job if I tell people but I don't think it's right."_

" _Do those two mean something to you?" Kyouya asked her and she shook her head._

" _I found out that they were dating by complete accident. But they made me promise not to tell anyone." Erika told him but didn't go into any more detail. Kyouya wondered who she was referring to and if he knew the person. The only thing he knew for certain about her situation was her anxious expression._

" _Look, I think it's more simple to tell someone about this secret of yours. If its really bothering you and you don't owe them anything, it's better to deal with the situation. You need to take care of yourself." Kyouya told her and she looked thoughtful before she smiled at him. It was much lighter and he felt something move in his chest at the sight of it._

" _You're right. Thank you!" Erika turned to return to her room._

" _Wait, I want to do something to thank you. Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked him and he was surprised that she would make such an offer. The only thing he did was speak with her but that small conversation made her smile lightly. They were familiar strangers at best so he didn't think that the conversation would impact her decision much._

" _You don't really need to." Kyouya told her but she had already walked into her room._

* * *

"Did Erika ever tell you about a secret she was keeping for someone?" Kyouya asked Sanda and she was confused by his question for a moment. It was off topic from their conversation. "I just remembered overhearing a conversation she was having on the phone. She sounded upset but she said that she was going to talk to you about it.

"That could be the motivation. Maybe the person wanted to that secret from coming out." Nozomi suggested. Looking back, Kyouya wished that he had pushed harder for an answer that day. He wondered if Erika remembered the secret.

"Do you know if she kept a diary or a journal?" Takeru suggested. "She might've written about it in there even if she didn't tell anyone about the secret. Maybe we should go to her house and look for it."

"Her parents didn't throw anything of hers away. But if she did have a diary, they would've given it to the police so I don't think she had one." Sanda told them with a frown. If Erika did have a diary, it would help them learn about what happened before she disappeared. "Maybe we should go and speak with them to see if they know anything about these calls."

Kyouya thought back to when he looked through Erika's room. He didn't find a diary or something that would give him a hint of a secret she was keeping. "I already tried talking to them. Her parents are on a trip so we can't ask them or go looking through her room. I don't know if we should open up old wounds for them either."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Sanda sighed and rubbed her temple.

"Kyouya," Erika pulled on his sleeve to catch his attention. Her eyes were nervous for a moment before hardening with determination. "I think if I try, I can remember. I think we need to find something that'll spark my memory like all the other times!"

* * *

 **I haven't updated this in a long time but I don't want to put this on hiatus. So I'm going to try really hard to update more chapters.**


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